


Summoned In Time

by thatsnotmyname32



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Clan Sakura, F/M, Fourth Shinobi War, Mokuton User Haruno Sakura, Third Shinobi War, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, and there will be sex, but not really Clan Sakura, fast burn romance, just to let you know, other tags when I think of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24750247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsnotmyname32/pseuds/thatsnotmyname32
Summary: An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? M rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Namikaze Minato
Comments: 53
Kudos: 611





	1. Chapter 1

Tsunade was headed straight for the next town where she could get a good drink, and find some quality gambling, when she realised where she was. She stopped, staring out towards the tree line, _knowing_ that just past them was an old abandoned settlement. Shizune kept going for a few paces before she noted that her guardian and mentor had stopped.

“Tsunade-oba?” she asked. “What is it?”

Instead of answering, Tsunade simply grabbed her hand and led her through the trees and to the old settlement. The faded symbol of the Senju clan was barely visible on the broken gates, but she ignored it in favour of wandering into the old compound. Shizune looked around with wide eyed wonder as Tsunade strode with purpose toward the main family houses.

“Th-this is an old Senju compound,” Shizune breathed in awe. “Do you… Do you think there’s anything left here?”

“Probably not,” was Tsunade’s reply. “My clan would have taken everything from here when the village was formed. The wards are mostly gone, but there’s still some resistance. So maybe looters haven’t been in here yet. We’ll see.”

The main house was in the middle of the compound, and mostly intact. Tsunade kept a firm hold of Shizune’s hand as she pushed open the half rotted door, most of it falling off when she did so. Inside was dark, but some dappled light shone through a few cracked windows. Tsunade found a candle and, using a one handed jutsu, lit it. She grabbed it and moved further through the house.

At some point, Shizune’s hand left her own, though the girl stayed close regardless. Tsunade had pulled open some shoji doors, letting enough light in that she didn’t really need the lit candle anymore. But she kept it close when she came across a trapdoor that possibly led to an underground escape route.

“Stay up here, Shizune,” she ordered as she pulled it open.

“But what if someone comes?” Shizune asked, a little scared at being left alone.

“If that happens…” Tsunade bit her lip. “If that happens, _then_ come down. But stay right here otherwise, alright?”

Shizune nodded and Tsunade stepped down into inky darkness.

There were old scrolls down here, but upon checking them, Tsunade saw that they were basically housekeeping records for the clan. What supplies they had, how many trips they’d made for supplies, things like that. Boring stuff, really. _Paperwork_. She made a face and stashed a scroll she had back into its pile. Continuing through, she eventually found the place where the main family’s secret escape route was, the latch that hid it even still worked. She pulled it, and an earth wall moved to the side.

Well, earth jutsu were her clan’s speciality, if you didn’t count the Mokuton, that is.

She was about to close it again and head back up, when she spotted another scroll. It was right there in the middle of the escape tunnel, looking like it had been forgotten or lost in a rush to leave. Curious, she bent and picked it up, noticing the kanji on it indicated that it wasn’t a housekeeping record like the others. Shrugging, she stashed it in a hidden pocket, then closed the tunnel and headed back up to where Shizune waited for her.

They didn’t stay much longer, and soon were back on the road for the nearby town, Daisen. They got a room, and Tsunade left Shizune with scrolls to study while she went out to drink and gamble. Later that night she was back, Shizune long in bed and asleep. Tsunade pulled the scroll from the compound out and stared at it. It was a Senju scroll, of that there was no doubt. But the Uzumaki crest was also on it. She realised that there was some kind of jutsu embedded in the scroll, though she had no idea what sort.

She wasn’t stupid enough to activate it herself.

Biting her thumb and resolutely ignoring the blood, she summoned a small portion of Katsuyu. “Tsunade-sama,” the slug greeted her. “What can I do for you?”

“I need you to get a message to Jiraiya,” Tsunade said. “When you de-summon yourself, get one of his toads to reverse summon him, and tell him to get his useless ass to Daisen. Can you do that?”

“Of course, Tsunade-sama,” Katsuyu said. “Jiraiya will have the message by morning.”

As the little slug disappeared in a puff of smoke, Tsunade sighed and wondered what the _hell_ she was even doing.

OoOoO

Two days later, Jiraiya showed up.

“Hime,” he greeted with a drawl. “To what do I owe the _honour_? Have you finally decided that you can’t live without me, and just have to… oof!”

Tsunade threw the scroll at him to stop him in his tracks. “Tell me what this is,” she snapped at him.

“A scroll?” Jiraiya said, sarcasm lacing his words a tad, then he looked closer at it. “Hmm… This is… Where did you get this?”

“There’s an old Senju compound nearby,” she told him. “This was in the main family’s escape tunnel.”

“So… you don’t even know what this is?” he asked, continuing when she shook her head, “This scroll… the markings indicate it’s a time travelling scroll.”

Tsunade’s brow rose. “You’re kidding?” she said. “That’s… that’s… That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of!”

“And yet, that’s what it says,” Jiraiya said. “You haven’t… tried opening it, have you?”

Tsunade whacked him over the head. “Of course I haven’t, you dolt!” she snapped at him. “I’m not an idiot, like some people!”

She glared heavily at him, then the two of them stared down at the scroll. “There are a _lot_ of people who would love to get their hands on something like this,” Jiraiya said. “People who should probably be kept far, _far_ away from it.”

“Like Kumo, Iwa, _Danzou…_ ” Neither of them particularly liked or even _trusted_ Shimura Danzou, even if the Hokage did.

“So what should I do with it?” Tsunade wondered.

“Destroy it,” Jiraiya said matter of factly. “Get rid of it in a way that no one could ever make use of it, no matter what jutsu they might know. Unless… you wanted to use it?”

Tsunade whacked him over the head again. “Why would I want to do that?” she demanded.

“Curiosity?” Jiraiya said as he rubbed his abused skull. “Though I wouldn’t suggest doing it here. Maybe in a more secure or even just remote location? Back at that compound, perhaps?”

Tsunade wanted to say no, wanted to burn the thing to ashes. But she couldn’t deny she _was_ curious. After all, that was why she’d gotten Jiraiya to come here, right?

…

Right. Nodding, she said, “We’ll go to the compound tonight. I don’t want Shizune involved, so she can stay at the hotel.”

She snatched the scroll back from him and shoved it back where she’d been keeping it. “Meet me at the east side of the village after ten tonight,” she said as she stood.

“Late night rendezvous,” Jiraiya grinned. “I can’t wait!”

Then he yelped in pain when Tsunade hit him over the head again, _harder_ this time.

OoOoO

They were in the middle of the compound twenty minutes after meeting outside Daisen. “Creepy,” Jiraiya noted, eyeing the derelict buildings warily.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. “You don’t still believe in ghosts, do you?” she asked.

“Of course not!” Jiraiya denied, chest puffed out. “It’s just creepy here with the whole ‘abandoned’ feel, you know?”

Tsunade whacked him with the scroll, then handed it over to him. Jiraiya carefully opened it, then read quickly, but thoroughly, through it. “Hmm, well, looks like it’s more of a summoning scroll than a time travel scroll,” he said. “Though whatever’s summoned with it _will_ travel through time. You know what? This handwriting is familiar, but I can’t place it…”

Tsunade snatched it back, eyes roaming over the kanji. “Tobi-ojisan,” she said. “This is _his_ handwriting.”

“The Nidaime?” Jiraiya asked, brow rising and voice impressed. “Well in that case, I’m much less sceptical on whether or not this will work. He _was_ a genius at researching and inventing jutsu, after all. So, are we really going to do this?”

“We’re already here, aren’t we?” Tsunade asked with a shrug. “Let’s get it done.”

She handed the scroll back to him, and Jiraiya carefully laid it out, biting his thumb and performing the hand signs. He activated the scroll and… Nothing happened.

“Arg!” he cried. “It didn’t work!”

Tsunade leaned down and noticed something that Jiraiya had obviously overlooked. “Well, it was probably because you aren’t a Senju,” she said, pointing out the particular blood kanji that confirmed it.

“Oh, right, I wondered what that bit was for,” he said, unabashed. “Well, hime, looks like it’s up to you.”

Tsunade glared at him, bit her thumb, then shakily and carefully ran through the hand signs. She activated the scroll, and it glowed brightly. The two of them stood back, watching as a two meter circumference around the scroll glowed, until it eventually faded away, and a young woman stood there. She stared at them with wide, green eyes, then those same eyes rolled up into the back of her head, and she collapsed. Jiraiya rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

“It worked,” he murmured, then gave a sharp laugh. “Ha! What d’ya know?!”

Tsunade reached over to the girl in Jiraiya’s grasp, activating her healing chakra to check on her condition. “She’s mildly injured,” she noted as she healed. “Chakra exhaustion too. I have a feeling it’s not because of the jutsu though.”

“Her clothes are a mess, too,” Jiraiya noted. “They’re all torn and burned! Whoever she is, she’s been through one hell of a wringer!”

Tsunade nodded in agreement. “There’s just one thing,” she said. “We didn’t even think of this… How mad do you think she’s gonna be when she wakes up?”

Jiraiya paled, then sighed. “Let’s just get her back to your hotel room,” he said, elaborating at her ‘look’, “You wanna leave her _here_? Or with _me_?”

Tsunade glared at him and all but snatched the girl from his arms. “Let’s go!” she snapped. “And don’t forget the scroll!”

They headed off back to Daisen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? T rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

The whole world felt like it was spinning. Groggily, her eyes flittered open, a small groan escaping her. Voices whispered, and Sakura winced, despite the low tones. What the hell had happened? Wherever it was that she was, it was dark, but a small bit of light shone in her peripherals… a lamp, she noted when she turned her head to look.

A face appeared in front of her then, a familiar one. “Shishou?” she murmured, still feeling lethargic, but she relaxed, knowing that her mentor was here.

“Shishou?” Tsunade repeated back in surprise. “I’m your shishou? Well, that’s unexpected, though not wholly unwelcomed, considering.”

_What_ was she talking about? “What’s going on?” Sakura asked as she channelled healing chakra to her head, the fog clearing as she did so. “What are you doing here? Where _is_ here?”

“We’re in Daisen,” a voice she recognised, but could not comprehend how the owner of it could be here, _alive_ , even after everything she’d been through. “This is an inn, where Hime has been staying. …What’s the last thing you remember?”

Sakura thought on that. What _was_ the last thing she remembered? She closed her eyes to concentrate… Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, Obito, Kaguya… _That’s_ what she remembered. Opening her eyes, she moved to sit up, and looked over to see Tsunade-shishou and a dead man sitting and watching her carefully.

“I remember my team,” she said. “We were fighting, and then suddenly I’m here. _What_ is going on?” _Was this the mugen tsukuyomi?_ she wondered warily.

Tsunade and the not-dead Jiraiya shared a look, then he sighed. “Hime here found a scroll, and we were… _curious…_ about whether or not it would even work. So we tested it out, and it… summoned you here. From a different time. The future, if what you say about Hime being your shishou is true.”

Sakura simply stared at him. “Okaaay,” was all she said.

Tsunade let out a huff, then handed a scroll over to Sakura. The pinkette leaned into the light of the lamp, eyes wide as she read the contents of the scroll. Her brow furrowed, her eyes narrowed, straightened, then narrowed again. Finally, after reading through it several times, to make sure she wasn’t imagining what she read, she levelled them with a flat, unimpressed stare.

“What the _hell_ were you two thinking?” she demanded. “Do you have any idea of the consequences of something like this?”

“Hey!” Jiraiya protested. “It’s not like we were going to use it for any nefarious means! We were just…”

“Irresponsible!” Sakura snapped. “You should have _destroyed_ this! Not used it to sate your curiosity, or whatever the heck reason you have! Do you have any idea of the ramifications if something like this fell into the wrong hands?”

“Of course we did!” Jiraiya argued. “We would have destroyed it eventually!”

“And I suppose that makes it better, does it?” Sakura snarled.

“Why you…!”

“Shut up!” Tsunade snapped. “The both of you, quit it! Jiraiya, she’s right, we _really_ shouldn’t have used it. We didn’t think it through. You were too eager to try it out, and I wanted something that was connected to my family somehow. Both of us are in the wrong. But that doesn’t mean that… Wait, sorry, but… what is your name?”

“Sakura,” she was told. “Haruno Sakura.”

“Haruno?” Jiraiya asked. “Like the merchant clan Haruno?”

“Yes,” Sakura said. “But both of my parents were ninja, though they retired not long after they had me.”

“The Haruno are related to the Uzumaki,” Tsunade mused.

Sakura nodded. “My great, great grandmother was from Uzushiogakure,” she confirmed. “She married my great, great grandfather in a mutual trade agreement. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a Senju, and a little bit of Nara is buried in there somewhere from back in the Warring Clans Era.”

Jiraiya picked up the scroll, reading it over once more. Morning sunlight started filtering in through the window, lighting the room up a bit more. Sakura could see everyone’s faces a little more clearly, and she knew they could see hers too. Tsunade’s eyes flickered over her, eventually landing on her forehead, and her brow rose. Sakura just shrugged.

“Hmm…” Jiraiya mused. “I think I understand a few things in the scroll a bit more. You said you have Senju and Uzumaki heritage? Seems like _that’s_ the reason why you were summoned instead of just some otherwise random person. It makes me wonder what the Nidaime’s aim was in creating this scroll.”

“The Nidaime created that?” Sakura asked, perking up a bit, then she sighed. “Figures,” she muttered, then asked, “I don’t suppose you can figure out a way to get me back, do you? Only, I was kinda in the middle of something when you yanked me back here.”

“About that… Just how far in the future are you from?” Tsunade asked, telling her the date also.

Sakura calculated quickly. “Twenty two years,” she said eventually, then sighed. “Third Shinobi War, right? A lot’s happened since then…”

“Care to share?” Jiraiya asked, but Sakura shook her head.

“I’m not changing the time line,” she refused. “If I do… I probably wouldn’t be able to get back home, and quite frankly, that’s my priority.”

Tsunade nodded in understanding, though Jiraiya looked annoyed. “What if you _can’t_ go back?” he asked.

“I’ll think about it,” was all she said after a brief pause.

“What’s going on?” came a small voice, and they all turned to see Shizune in the doorway to the bedroom, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

Sakura did _not_ just sigh at how _kawaii_ her honorary nee-san looked like that!

“Shizune,” Tsunade said, getting up and going over to her. “Did we wake you? Sorry about that.”

Shizune just nodded and looked over to Sakura. “Hello, I’m Kato Shizune,” she said. “Who are you?”

Sakura smiled. “Haruno Sakura,” she told her. “I’m a… ahem… friend of Tsunade and Jiraiya here.”

Shizune looked so adorable at eight, and Sakura was having a hard time containing herself. She loved kids, and seeing her nee-san so young… well, she guessed that she could be her imouto instead for now. The girl noticed Jiraiya then, and greeted him, “Oji-san.”

Jiraiya ruffled the girl’s hair. “Hey, gaki, it’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”

Shizune nodded, then Tsunade took her back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

The sun was up properly now, and it streamed brightly in the room. “What now?” Sakura asked. “Does the scroll have any way to reverse this?”

“Honestly, no,” Jiraiya said. “In all likelihood, the Nidaime would have made another scroll for the reversal, and I’ve no way of knowing where that could be. Maybe in the Hokage archives, or even the Senju records. It could even be lost all together.”

Sakura sighed, trying not to let it get to her. “What are you going to do with the scroll?” she asked.

“Hm,” Jiraiya mused. “Destroying it would be safest, but we may need it to help get you back to your time. The safest place for it then, would probably be with the toads. I’ll summon Fukasaku-sama, and get him to hang on to it for the time being.”

Sakura nodded, knowing that the toads wouldn’t be as irresponsible as the two Sannin in this inn and try to use it. Jiraiya bit his thumb, putting extra chakra in to specifically call the elder toad here. When he arrived, he looked a little peeved, but otherwise as serene as she remembered him.

“Jiraiya-gaki,” he greeted, then looked to Sakura. “Ah. And who might this young lady be?”

“Haruno Sakura,” the pinkette said, bowing respectfully.

The toad eyed her off for a bit, then said, “You’re not in your own time-space, are you?”

“How do you know that?” Jiraiya demanded, then cut off with a cough when the elder toad gave him a ‘look’.

“The natural energy surrounding her isn’t right,” he said. “And besides, it’s not like I’ve never seen a temporally stranded individual before.”

“You’ve come across time travel before?” came Tsunade’s voice from the door to the bedroom.

“Tsunade-chan,” Fukusaku greeted her as she came into the room. “Yes I have, though not for many years. That one ended up stuck here and lived out the rest of his life in what is now the Hakusan region in Cha no Kuni.”

“Well, anyway,” Jiraiya cut in, though he was curious despite himself. “Here’s the scroll that was used to bring her here. We need to find the counter scroll, which is probably in Konoha, and we might need this later.”

Fukusaku nodded and took the scroll, not even looking at it. “Very well, I shall keep this safe,” he promised, then nodded to each of them before de-summoning himself.

There was silence, then Tsunade flatly said, “I’m _not_ going back to Konoha.”

Jiraiya sighed. “I’ll take Sakura there,” he said. “I’ll explain everything to sensei, see if we can get access to the records. As for the Senju ones…”

Tsunade gave him a glare, then rummaged around in a nearby bag. She pulled out a carved amulet in the shape of her Clan symbol, and Sakura recognised it as a sealed key of sorts. Her shishou didn’t really need it, it had mostly been Shizune, and eventually Sakura, who’d used it to access the Senju compound and library when needed.

Tsunade saw the recognition in her eyes. “So you know what this is then?” she asked rhetorically, before passing it over. “Good, that means I don’t have to explain anything.”

“Right, so we’ll head out as soon as possible,” Jiraiya decided, then eyed her critically. “I don’t suppose you have another set of clothes on you?”

“Of course not,” Sakura scowled. “I was yanked off a battlefield. Not exactly an accommodating situation for a wardrobe change!”

Tsunade sighed and Jiraiya let out a little bark of laughter. “Stand up,” he said, adding when she eyed him funny, “Come on, stand up! I’ve got a good eye for the _female body_ , I can go grab you something to wear in town once the shops open.”

Sakura sighed and stood. “Remember that I’m a kunoichi, you perve, and make sure what you get is not only functional, but decent as well!”

Jiraiya let out a long suffering sigh, sizing her up, before nodding to himself. “Right, I think I’ve got it…” he said. “Have a shower in the meantime, and maybe a nap. You look a tad exhausted.”

Sakura nodded and he left, and Tsunade showed her to the bathroom, where she had a nice, moderately warm shower.

OoOoO

They were walking at a civilian pace, after travelling at shinobi speed for a few hours. Sakura was still exhausted, despite managing some sleep while waiting for Jiraiya to return to the inn, but she’d recovered enough chakra to travel this way for a bit. He’d surprised her in that he’d actually bought her some decent clothes, two sets that fit disturbingly perfectly. Though she _hadn’t_ been surprised when he’d made a perverted comment about the underwear he’d bought. That had earned him a sound thwack over the head.

Their destination at the moment was Otafuku Gai, which was a short distance from Konoha. “I can’t walk you into the village without papers,” Jiraiya had said. “At least, not legally. But we want to do this as above board as we can, don’t we?”

“Of course we do,” Sakura had agreed. “So what are we going to do then?”

“We’ll go to Otafuku Gai,” he’d said. “I’ll go ahead to the village, get sensei to get some papers set up for you, then I’ll come back to collect you. Sound okay?”

Sakura had nodded, and now they were almost there, she could see the town ahead of them.

Once they arrived, Jiraiya left. Sakura had a small purse of money that he’d given her, rather reluctantly, so the first thing she decided she’d do was get some food. It was only a couple of hours that she was waiting, munching on some dango she bought at a stall, though it wasn’t Jiraiya who showed up.

“Haruno Sakura?” asked a vaguely familiar voice, and she turned, freezing in shock when she saw who it was.

Namikaze Minato stood before her, along with a shorter version of Kakashi-sensei.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? T rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

“Uh… yes?” Sakura said, eyeing him and mini Kakashi off weirdly.

“Jiraiya-sensei and the Hokage sent us,” the future Yondaime said, a bright, sunny smile lighting up his face as he spoke.

Sakura gave him a look, then glanced down at Kakashi, and back up at his sensei, then sighed. “I was expecting the pervert to come get me,” she said.

“Well, Hokage-sama has him in a meeting,” Minato told her. “They asked us to come get you. Oh! Here, these are for you.”

He handed her a manilla folder, and Sakura inspected the contents to find the papers that would allow her into the village. She noted that it already had her listed as Tsunade-shishou’s apprentice, as well as naming her as a relative of the woman as well. There was also a handwritten note from Jiraiya, telling her that she would be headed _straight_ to the Hokage tower, and not to worry, because the Hokage (sensei, as he’d written in the note) had already agreed to integrate her into the village.

She wondered if it was his way to ‘compensate’ her for his two students’ stupidity…

Sakura looked up at Minato then, taking note of the differences from when she’d seen him in the war, as a reanimated shinobi. He was so much younger, maybe around her own age, if not a little older. And Kakashi-sensei… He was so _tiny_! Just like Shizune was. She sighed at how cute he was with his scowly face and crossed arms. He saw her looking at him, but turned his gaze away and ignored her.

The two of them were so different! And Minato… he was… he was… In a word, he was _hot_. Why didn’t she notice that he was so hot before? Maybe it was the discoloured sclera and cracked skin? But also, there was the fact that he was Naruto’s father. _And_ he was probably already dating Naruto’s mother too. Her inner fangirl pouted. Why were all the good ones either taken, insane (cough! Sasuke), or idiots (ahem! Naruto)? Mentally she shook herself and put it all away in the back of her head. For now, at least.

She realised that she was just standing there staring, folder in one hand, half eaten dango in the other. So she tucked the folder away into the woven bag she’d bought, already stocked with the spare clothes, the coin purse, a kunai that Tsunade had given her, and some ‘emergency’ rations (another box of dango, and some daifuku mochi). She’d already eaten a whole bunch of tempura, yakitori, sushi, yakisoba, and even a couple of bowls of miso ramen.

…She was refilling her seal, give her a break!

“Alright then,” she said, flinging her now empty dango box into a nearby trash can. “Lead the way.”

They walked out of town, then travelled at a civilian pace. Sakura wondered why that was, but let it go. Instead, she allowed herself to enjoy the walk back to the village, taking in the sights in a way she tended not to when going at a shinobi pace. Minato was quite talkative on the way back, rather annoyingly so, but she tried not to hold it against him much.

“So, how do you know sensei?” he asked. “Is it because you’re Tsunade’s apprentice?”

“Did Jiraiya tell you that?” she asked.

“The only thing he told me about you was that you have pink hair, green eyes, and would be wearing a red, yellow, and white dress,” he told her, then tapped his forehead with his finger. “Your seal gave it away.”

Oh. Right. That.

“Uh, yeah,” Sakura confirmed. “Tsunade is my shishou. She decided my training was done, really, and sent Katsuyu to get Jiraiya to come pick me up. This way, I can get a hitai-ate and be added to Konoha’s shinobi list.”

Minato nodded, then asked, “Do you have any plans after that? I mean, did you want to work at the hospital? Or maybe go on missions?”

He really was nosy, wasn’t he? Sakura sighed. “I’ve no idea,” she admitted.

There was silence a moment, the Minato asked, “How did you meet Tsunade-sama in the first place?”

Sakura gave him a look, a little annoyed at his questioning of her. “Is this _really_ something you need to know?” she asked. “I think I’d rather _not_ get grilled about this sort of thing until I meet with the Hokage.”

“Oh, sorry!” Minato was instantly apologetic. “I was just so curious. I mean, it’s not every day that sensei brings his team mate’s student to the village. Sorry if I offended you.”

Sakura sighed. “It’s fine,” she supposed. “I guess I’m still a little on edge and annoyed because… well, suffice it to say, it’s all Jiraiya’s fault.”

“Oh! Er, sorry about him,” Minato said, no doubt thinking that his sensei had done something perverted, which was a fair assumption.

She wondered how often he usually had to apologise for him…

“It’s fine,” Sakura told him. “Shishou’s equally to blame, after all. But never mind that. There’s the village gates.”

And indeed, there were the gates, tall and looming before them. It still took them a moment to get to them, and when they did, Sakura handed over her pass to the guards, who checked it over, then stamped it, handing it back with a curt, “Welcome to Konoha,” before waving her on. Soon enough, they were walking through the village streets.

They took a path that led them straight through the village, the most direct route to the Hokage tower. Along the way, some people greeted Minato with a wave, but didn’t stop them. At least, not until they encountered someone that caused Sakura to stiffen slightly, before she forced herself to relax.

“Yo! Minato!” came the cheery voice of Yamanaka Inoichi, followed closely by the man himself sauntering over. “How’s it going? Who’s this with you? Finally moving on, ‘ey?”

What did _that_ mean?

“Inoichi,” Minato greeted him. “This is Sakura, I’m escorting her to the Hokage’s office.”

“Oh, a mission then,” Inoichi said with a nod, then eyed her up and down, before letting his gaze linger on her forehead. “You know, that looks the same as the seal that the sannin Tsunade has.”

That comment was directed at her, and Sakura gave him a saccharine smile. “Well that would make sense,” she said, “since she _is_ my shishou.”

Inoichi’s brow rose. “Interesting,” was all he said though, before he looked over his shoulder, and Sakura saw Shikaku and Chouza sitting at a nearby food stand. “Well, I’ll let you get to it then,” he said. “I just wanted to remind you about Friday night, Minato. You still coming?”

“Of course,” Minato said. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Inoichi gave him a quick, friendly salute, ruffled a grumpy Kakashi’s hair before the boy could escape, gave Sakura a searching look, then returned to his friends. Sakura felt his and the others gazes on her until they turned the street corner ahead.

Once at the tower, Minato and Kakashi saw her to the door, where an ANBU standing guard let them in. Sakura figured that their arrival had been known as soon as they’d entered the tower, if not before. The Sandaime was in his chair, with Jiraiya standing in front of the desk, arms crossed and surly expression on his face. When they reached the desk, all three bowed, then waited for the Hokage to speak.

“Minato, Kakashi,” he eventually said. “Thank you for bringing Sakura here. You’re dismissed.”

Minato nodded before giving his sensei a speculative glance, then a lingering look to Sakura, before leaving with Kakashi trailing behind him. Sakura turned to face the Hokage then, as ready as she could be for what was going to be said.

OoOoO

Minato had sent Kakashi home, and he himself headed off in the direction of his own apartment. At least, he fully intended to go there, but when he’d reached the building, his steps had led him straight past it, and instead he’d found himself heading in the direction of his favourite training grounds. It was late afternoon now, and there wasn’t really any training he wanted to do, he just wanted to think.

Sakura… There was something going on here, he was sure. But, was it really anything he had a right to know? When sensei had summoned him earlier and asked this favour, he’d stressed that Sakura was an ally and friend, but hadn’t really told him much more than that. Minato was insanely curious about her, that was certain. He hated having a mystery he either couldn’t, or wasn’t allowed to solve.

And Sakura was indeed a mystery. If an opportunity arose for him to learn more, without going against his sensei’s wishes, well then, all the better. She was fascinating, he didn’t think he’d ever met anyone with that shade of pink hair before. Well… his old class mate, Kizashi, had pink hair, so maybe they were related? He shook his head, leaving that thought behind.

“Minato.”

To his credit, Minato barely started, and he turned to see Shikaku coming up behind him. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts, he hadn’t even sensed his friend approach. “Shikaku,” he greeted. “Did you need something?”

“It’s troublesome, but Inoichi wanted me to see how you were doing,” he said.

“Or he just wanted you to get the gossip on Sakura,” Minato rather accurately guessed.

Shikaku quirked a quick grin. “He _does_ like to gossip like an old woman,” he said. “But it’s understandable in this case. Even Chouza and I are intrigued by this apprentice of Tsunade-sama’s. So… what do you know about her?”

Minato shrugged. “Not much,” he admitted. “She wasn’t as talkative as I’d hoped on the way here. I really just know that she’s Tsunade-sama’s apprentice, that she’s applying to be a Konoha shinobi, and that she’s not sure what she’s going to do here yet.”

Shikaku eyed him speculatively for a bit, then stated, “You like her.”

Minato spluttered a bit, wide eyed at his friend. “I _just_ met her!” he argued.

Shikaku gave a lazy shrug. “But you’re interested,” he said. “I know you, Minato. You wouldn’t be here in the middle of a training field, _not_ training, if she didn’t spark some sort of curiosity.”

Minato gave him a withering look, before relenting with a sigh. “She’s _intriguing_ ,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I like her the way you’re insinuating.”

“You’re allowed to like someone, you know,” Shikaku said. “You’re not dating Kushina anymore after all.”

Minato did _not_ want to be reminded of that.

The two were silent a moment, then Shikaku casually mentioned, “Inoichi likes her.”

Minato started in surprise, giving his friend a wide eyed look. “Of course,” Shikaku went on, “his interest in her is typically shallow, and doesn’t really go past her face and figure at this point. You on the other hand… Well, we’ll see.”

Minato sighed and shook his head, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to change his friends mind. “I should get home,” he said. “I’ll see you Friday.”

He waved and walked off then, his thoughts now centred over Shikaku’s words, “ _You’re allowed_ _to like someone._ ”

…He knew that, but that didn’t mean he really _knew_ that. After breaking up with Kushina… Could he really allow himself to be put into that kind of situation again? He scoffed as he walked, ignoring the look he got from a woman he passed in the street. He didn’t know Sakura, and Shikaku certainly didn’t know what he was talking about. He reached his apartment building and went in, disabling the traps on his door, resolving to forget about Shikaku’s words, and instead focusing back on what was important.

Like figuring out how he was going to tell Kakashi that he was going to have two new team mates soon…


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? T rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

Once the door was closed, the Hokage activated the in-built privacy seals of the office, which Sakura knew from experience were top notch. They had, after all, been created by both the Nidaime and the Lady Mito, the Shodaime’s wife. Both of whom were fuinjutsu masters. And of course, once the Yondaime had taken office, he’d only improved upon them.

But back to the matter at hand…

“Haruno-san,” Sarutobi Hiruzen greeted her. “Jiraiya has brought me up to speed on what has happened, and I would like to formally apologise for the lack of intelligence that both of my former students showed, for the mess you’re currently in.”

Sakura grinned even as Jiraiya groaned and rolled his eyes. “Seriously, sensei!” he groaned.

Bowing low, Sakura said, “I humbly accept your apology on their behalf, Hokage-sama, and let me assure you that I hold no ill will to you for their actions.”

Sakura clearly saw the twinkle in his eye as she spoke, and the two shared a moment of mirth, before both of their expressions settled into something more serious.

“Now,” the Sandaime spoke, “I have already set in motion for you to gain a Konoha hitai-ate, as well as setting up an aptitude test for you so that we can ascertain your rank. I also sent a chuunin off to procure you an apartment, and he should be done soon. There’s also the matter of a stipend, which will be basic at first, until your rank is established, then it will match that.”

“That’s rather generous,” Sakura remarked, brow quirking upward.

“Perhaps, but you could consider it compensation of sorts,” the Hokage said. “After all, Konoha looks after its shinobi, even if they are temporally displaced. Now, Jiraiya mentioned that you’re reluctant to alter anything in the time line, and I agree that it is up to you. If you change your mind, know that I will be here for you.”

Sakura nodded in acknowledgement. “Now,” the Hokage pressed on, “as for the matter of researching a way to get you home, I will grant you full access to the Hokage archives, though either myself or Jiraiya must always be with you. In all probability, it will be Jiraiya, as I will have village matters to attend to. Jiraiya! You will be on temporary leave until this matter is resolved, understood?”

Jiraiya nodded. “Yes sensei,” he said.

“Now,” the Hokage said, “all that’s left to cover is the paperwork you’ll need to stay here. Once we’re done, see my secretary, Yaeko-san. She has the papers you need to fill out, and then return to her so that she can have them processed. In the meantime, I welcome you to the village, and I hope that you can feel as at home here as you were in your own time.”

Sakura smiled. “Thank you, Hokage-sama,” she said. “I hope so too.”

The Hokage released the seals on the room then, and the two left the office to go see the man’s secretary, who handed over the papers, and they waited for the chuunin who was getting the apartment for her just down the hall from the woman. When he arrived, the address he gave them was familiar to Sakura, as it was an apartment complex that had been popular with the jounin of the village, before Pein’s invasion had levelled most of the village. In fact, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, and even Sai had all lived in that building at one time or another.

The apartment was on the third floor, and after dumping her few belongings there, as well as trapping and sealing the place up tight, Sakura and Jiraiya decided to head over to the Senju compound.

“Have you ever been there before?” Jiraiya asked as they walked.

“A few times,” Sakura admitted. “First time in, I had to use the sealed amulet, though after that, shishou added me to the wards so I could get in without it. But I never had the opportunity to go into the main branches records, which we’ll have to now.”

Jiraiya nodded. “I have the feeling that if the scroll exists, it will most likely be there,” he said. “Looking in the Hokage archives is, just in case.”

Once they reached the compound, they found it completely shut up. Sakura took the amulet off, placing it up against the gate, letting her chakra flow through it. Once this was done, as long as she still had the amulet with her, she would be able to get in any time without doing this. Only being added to the wards would change that, and to do that, she would need Tsunade, who’d already refused to come back, not even for this.

The gates swung open, and the two of them stepped inside. Sakura _knew_ she saw Jiraiya jump slightly when they swung noisily closed behind them, but he acted like it hadn’t happened, so she left it alone. The compound was huge, but empty at the same time. She knew it had been abandoned since Tsunade had left, with the remainder of the Senju also moving out, integrating fully into the village proper.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Jiraiya muttered. “Ah! There’s the main family’s house. Let’s go look in there first, shall we?”

Sakura shook her head. “That’s only the living quarters,” she said. “The main library is further in, and the building where the Nidaime did most of his research is past that, as well.”

“So, you know your way around in here,” Jiraiya commented. “Even though you said you’ve only been here three times?”

“I memorised the layout,” was all Sakura said, before she led the way.

They found the library quick enough, and Sakura unsealed it with the amulet. Even though she’d been in here only those few times, she knew the basic layout of the place. Jiraiya soon realised that she was basically a nerd, and called her that, only to have her fist meet the top of his head. “Tsunade really did train you up to be just like her, didn’t she?” he commented as he picked himself up off the floor.

“Nonsense,” Sakura said sweetly. “My temper is hereditary, courtesy of both my mother and my grandmother. My best friend, and then shishou, only encouraged it.”

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and said, “I have absolutely no doubt of that!”

The first thing Sakura went to was the reference catalogue. The Senju had kept impeccable records, both before and after the village’s formation, so everything was clearly labelled. So they easily enough found the research area of the library, where they immediately got to work. The lights in the compound still worked, and Sakura wondered who was picking up the bill for that? But it didn’t matter, beyond the convenience of proper lighting for their reading.

They were there for a few hours, with Sakura quickly realising that any scroll pertaining to time travel _wouldn’t_ be here. No doubt, it was in the Nidaime’s personal research labs, if it existed. But then she yawned, and suddenly the events of the last few days (war, goddesses, time travel, that sort of thing) caught up with her all at once.

“Maybe we should get you back to your place,” Jiraiya said, and Sakura reluctantly agreed with him.

They walked back at a leisurely pace, with Jiraiya keeping an eye on her in case she fell asleep on her feet. Even though Sakura didn’t feel like she was at that point yet, but she appreciated the concern. Once they reached the building, he parted ways with her outside.

“Get plenty of rest,” he told her. “Even if you have to sleep all day tomorrow, alright? Send a message to me when you wake up.”

Sakura nodded. “I feel like I could actually sleep a year,” she admitted, then waved him goodbye before heading inside.

She trudged up the stairs, then as she reached the third floor, coming out into the hallway, she bumped into someone. “Ooof!”

Sakura stumbled backwards, only to have hands reach out to steady her. “Careful there!” a familiar voice said, and she looked up to see a familiar pair blue eyes and blond hair.

OoOoO

Minato hadn’t intended on going out again, but he’d discovered that the content of his fridge was embarrassingly low. So he’d started to head out to get something to eat, when he’d literally bumped into Sakura. He’d naturally reached out to steady her, noting at once how tired she looked. When was the last time that she had slept, that she looked _that_ exhausted?

“Careful there!” he said, watching her eyes light up in surprise at seeing him.

He smiled reassuringly, even as she rather bluntly blurted out, “What are you doing here?”

“I live here,” he told her, pointing back down towards his own apartment. “What about you?”

“Hokage-sama assigned me an apartment here,” she told him.

“On this floor?” he asked, continuing when she nodded, “Number twenty seven then. It’s the only empty one on this floor. I’m in twenty four.”

Sakura nodded, then looked past him, and he realised she was about to walk past to her new place. Something inside him, he didn’t know what, prompted him to say, “I was about to head out for some dinner… Would you like to come? I mean, you just got to the village, you probably don’t have any food yet. You don’t have to of course, totally up to you!”

Why was he so nervous? Shikaku’s words from earlier came back to him, but he forced them away. He was just being neighbourly, and he was most certainly _not_ interested in someone he’d only met that day! She was eyeing him strangely, and he was pretty sure that she was going to say no, but then she shrugged.

“Why not?” she said. “Just let me get some money, and I’ll be right back.”

It was on the tip of Minato’s tongue to offer to pay, but he held back. He watched as she walked up to number twenty seven, and she was only in the apartment briefly before she came back out. They walked down the stairs in silence, though once they were outside the building, Sakura decided to speak up.

“So, what were you planning on having?” she asked as they walked.

“I was thinking maybe some curry,” Minato said, adding when Sakura made a face, “or maybe some tonkatsu? There’s a stall I know that has the best in the village, and it’s basically right around the corner..”

“That sounds nice,” Sakura agreed, so that’s where they headed.

While there, Minato made small talk with her. She was so tired, and she dug into her food like she hadn’t eaten in ages. So he told her about the village, where his favourite places were, which of the smiths he thought had the best grade of kunai and other weapons, and even mentioned how he was going to be having a gennin team soon. She’d perked in interest at this briefly, but hadn’t commented too much on it.

Finally, once he’d eaten his meal (and Sakura’d had almost _triple_ what he’d had) he walked them back to the apartment complex. By then, her feet were dragging with fatigue, and she ended up leaning on him for support. By the time he got her to her door, she was basically asleep on her feet.

He disabled all the traps bar one on her door (that last one was going to leave a bruise!) then led her over to her couch. It didn't look too comfortable to sleep in, though, so he half carried her through the apartment to the bedroom, laying her on the bed in a comfortable position and removing her boots. He stood there a moment once she was settled, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest as she slept.

Then he berated himself for watching her like some sort of creeper (he was _not_ his sensei, thank you very much) and left, re-enabling her traps once he was out her front door, and he headed back to his own apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? M rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Before reading and possibly commenting, please keep in mind that this is in no way a slow burn. It's more of a fast burn. All my other MinaSakus right now will be slow, this one is decidedly not.
> 
> Warning for citrus ahead! And because of that, I'm upping the rating, just in case.

When Sakura woke next, the sun was setting. She had no idea what time it was (hadn't bought a clock or anything yet), but from the way her body felt, she hadn't even slept twenty four hours. So, no sleeping for a week then. Sitting up, she crinkled her nose, realising that she kinda smelled. She went straight to the bathroom, stripping off her clothes, hopping in under the shower, and using the soap she found in a drawer. It had a nice floral scent.

Once done, she cursed as she realised that she didn't have a towel, and wrung her hair out as much as she could over the sink. The extra set of clothes were a skirt and shirt, with a cardigan, and she used the cardigan to dry her skin as much as possible, before changing into the clean clothes. Once done, she did a quick exploration of the apartment, to find out what she did and didn't need.

A towel was obviously put on her list, as well as laundry powder, and washing detergent for the kitchen. There was no food at all, so she'd need to get the basics at least. And clothes of course. But without knowing what time it was, she had no idea if any clothes stores would even be open. Sakura went through, making her list, and along with the money Jiraiya had given her, counted out the first stipend that the Hokage's secretary had given her previously.

Her stomach grumbled, and she dug into her 'emergency' stash of dango, even devouring the mochi, all by the time she made it to her front door. Once outside, Sakura looked around, trying to figure out which way the marketplace was, and decided to go left. Soon enough, she found a market shop and went in, finding all but clothes and a towel. She got rice, eggs, milk, some meat and vegetables, as well as some fruit. Also some instant meals, and more dango for 'emergencies'. There were also cleaning staples, and even a wall clock.

Once done, she quickly took them home, packing the food away, but leaving the rest for the moment, then headed back out. Jiraiya had said to send her a message when she woke, but how? Finally she flagged a random chuunin down and gave him some ryō to track the perve down and tell him to come find her. In the meantime, she managed to find a clothing store that was still open, and bought several more sets of clothes and more underwear.

After quickly dropping that off, she headed out again, her stomach growling. Sakura strolled along the streets, simply enjoying the ambience that the fading light gave off in the village. Eventually she found herself at a familiar sight, even if it was on a different street than she remembered. She ducked into the stall, taking in the sight of a much younger Teuchi.

"Welcome to Ichiraku's!" Teuchi greeted her. "What can I get you?"

Sakura opened her mouth, but a voice beat her to it. "Get her a miso pork ramen to go, and another for me, too."

Sakura looked over to see that Jiraiya was behind her. "To go?" she asked.

"Thought we might walk and talk," he said. "By the way, that chuunin you sent… Never, _ever_ again, alright?"

Sakura quirked an eyebrow, but he refused to elaborate.

Once their food was done, they set off, Sakura following as Jiraiya led their steps toward the Senju compound once more. "Sensei and I decided, that until we get your place warded up tight, the only places we can talk about our problem are in his office, the Hokage archives, or at the compound," he told her seriously.

Sakura nodded, it made sense. She eagerly devoured the ramen as they walked, eyeing off Jiraiya's once she was done, until he sighed and handed it over.

"Voracious, aren't you?"

"My seal's not full," she told him. "I've been converting almost everything I've been eating into chakra."

"Ah! Say no more," Jiraiya declared. "I remember, Tsunade-hime does that, too."

Eventually they reached the compound, and since Sakura had already decided to never take the amulet off (so she wouldn't forget it) they were in with ease. They headed back to the compound library. They immediately picked up where they'd left off, searching through scrolls and books, until Jiraiya sighed, stretched, and said, "I think that's about it for me."

"I'll stay," Sakura said. "You can go. Getting out will be easy, just don't go poking around, and follow the path we took in."

"Don't stay all night," Jiraiya told her, before taking his leave.

Sakura spent a few more hours there, reading and cataloguing, until she decided to call it a night finally. Looking around the library, she wondered if the counter scroll was even in here. Why would the Nidaime put a scroll like that in a public, albeit clan exclusive, library? But they had to check, of course. If she gambled as her shishou did, then Sakura would put money on the Hokage archives over this library. But Jiraiya was convinced otherwise.

If she really thought about it… she'd actually put her money on the Nidaime's private home.

…

She knew where that was, too.

…

Sakura left the library, and instead of heading to the main gate, she went further in. She probably shouldn't, at least, not without Jiraiya with her. Yet she went further in, passing the Shodaime's house, the one Tsunade had grown up in, to the next one, which was the Nidaime's. At the little gate, she paused. There were wards up here, ones she could only breach with Tsunade's help. The only way in was to be added to the wards of the compound, and having that done in the _future_ , didn't count.

Disappointed, she stepped back. She was about to head off towards the main gate, but then a small wind blew by her, and she shivered. There was something… Sakura turned, looking further into the Senju grounds. She could have sworn she heard something. _Felt_ something… Her feet led her over to a copse of trees, and she stopped before them.

Something was in there.

A flicker of fear washed over her, even as some other force compelled her forward. It wasn't any kind of genjutsu, she always knew when one had been cast. Into the miniature forest, and eventually she found herself face to face (so to speak) with one of the Shodaime's special trees. If what Tsunade-shishou had told her ages ago was true, then it was actually the _first_ one he'd grown in the village.

The fear she'd felt was gone now, and instead, she felt a sense of wonder and joy. The trees branches rustled in the wind, and Sakura could almost hear the sounds of laughter from it. She wanted to shake her head, declare, 'ridiculous!' but she couldn't. Instead, she took another step closer to the tree, a hand coming up, reaching out….

Her senses vanished, and she blacked out.

OoOoO

Minato was standing at his window, staring out at the village, when he saw her. She was almost floating down the street, which was lit only by the stars and the few street lights on, the moon having long disappeared. He frowned when she walked straight past the building, wondering where she could be going at this time of night. It was his concern for her that had him quickly ducking out of his window and following her.

"Sakura!" he called, but she ignored him in favour of continuing along. "Wait! Where are you going?"

Minato caught up to her, grabbing her arm and pulling her around to face him. Her eyes were slightly glazed over, and she had a beatific smile on her face, the combination of which made him wonder if she was drunk, or under a genjutsu. The latter was incredibly unappealing, and he shot a jolt of his chakra to her just in case, but nothing happened.

Well, not nothing. She _finally_ noticed that he was there.

"Hello," she said. "I know you, don't I?"

"Of course you do," he told her. "I'm Minato, remember?"

She nodded. "Naruto's dad," she affirmed.

Minato's brow furrowed. "Uh, no, I'm not anyone's father," he said.

Sakura giggled, whacking his chest lightly. "Of course you are, silly!" she said. "Or aren't. Or will be, won't be… It's all been messed around!"

She stumbled, then giggled. "Are you drunk?" he asked her, but she shook her head.

Sighing happily, she said, "I'm not _drunk_. I'm high. On _life_. The best kind!"

"…High on life?" Minato asked, now looking for signs of drugs.

Sakura nodded. "The _best_ sort, too!" she declared. "It was a tree, y'know? A _tree_."

She raised her hands in the air, waving them lazily about. Then she spun, and began to dance in the street. "Life! High! Tree!" she sang. "Trees waving in the wind! Singing the song of life! A high life of love and joy!"

Sakura spun around and around and around, at least until Minato stepped toward her, and she stopped sharply to turn and grin at him. "You can't catch me!" she crowed, and was off like a shot.

Without hesitating, Minato followed her, using his familiarity with her chakra signature to track her. She kept trying to avoid him, but eventually he caught up with her in a training ground that had quite a few trees in it. He managed to grab hold of her arm, and when he did, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms about his waist.

"You caught me!" she murmured, almost huskily.

"I'm taking you home so you can sleep off… whatever it is you had," he told her, then used his hiraishin to teleport them to his apartment.

Minato fully intended to take her straight to her apartment, he really did, but as soon as they appeared in his living room, Sakura was all over him. She was kissing him, and Minato was trying, he _really_ was, to pull her off of him, but her grip on him was too tight. He was going to have to walk her to her apartment like this, but when he neared the front door, he heard the voice of one of his neighbours, a particularly nosy one. He didn't want Honda-san to start spreading any rumours, so he moved back into the apartment.

He was at a loss. Also, Sakura was starting to get even more amorous, and he was quickly losing his concentration. If he didn't stop this soon… A soft moan coming from her caused all thought of stopping to flee, and suddenly Minato was returning her kisses as they fell back onto his couch, with her above him. She was rocking against him now, and there wasn't a single thought in his head at _all_.

His hands moved up to unbutton her shirt, and he cupped her bra clad breasts. She squeaked in delight, even as her hands moved down to yank up his shirt. A hand slipped down… down… and soon, all that stood in the way of them coming together was underwear. Minato's hand ran up her thigh to remove that constraint, but then…

Sakura stilled.

Her lips left his in record speed, and through lust hazed eyes, Minato saw that her own had cleared. Whatever had been influencing her before… It was gone. She stared down at him in shock, her gaze a mix of horrified and aroused, and then the next thing he knew, she was pushing away from him, scrambling to her feet, and out the door.

Leaving him there with a throbbing ache, and the need to have a cold, _cold_ shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tree magic! But not magic. Tree chakra, if you wanna be technical.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? M rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

Sakura _slammed_ into her apartment, collapsing on the floor after hastily putting up wards that she knew from her time serving as Tsunade-shishou's assistant for her Hokage duties (they were overkill, really). Her breathing was laboured, she could still feel the _need_ , the _want_ from before. Part of her wanted to go back, to finish what she'd started. The only thing was…

She couldn't even remember how she'd ended up straddling Minato on his couch in the first place.

The last thing she did remember… she was in the Senju compound, in front of the Hashirama tree. What the heck had happened? There was a blank spot in her mind. No, not blank. More… fuzzy. Clouded. Almost like a drug. Shakily, she raised her hand up (which rather oddly had dirt under the finger nails), watching as it started to glow green with her healing chakra, then she turned it inward. There was no sign anywhere in her that there had been _anything_ in her system. No drugs, no alcohol… Ah-ha! There!

There was the minuscule residue of foreign chakra in her coils. And she recognised it, even though it was impossible. It was the same chakra that the Shodaime, Senju Hashirama, had when he and the other Hokage had arrived on the battlefield during the war. The one in the future. So did that mean that Hashirama's chakra was in that tree? She supposed it made sense. But what had happened to cause it to react to her? It never had before.

A bonus though, her seal was now completely refilled. ( _yay!_ )

Sakura closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Her body was calming, finally, and she staggered to her feet. On shaky legs, she made her way to her bathroom, stripping off her clothes and standing under steaming hot water. She was sweating, and the hot water was rinsing away the smell of accumulated dirt, sweat, and (unconsummated) sex.

As she stood there under the spray, Sakura slowly started to remember bits of what happened. Her cheeks pinked, unnoticeable really, thanks to the hot water. She remembered the chakra from the tree, overloading her senses, leaving her on a chakra high. It had felt as if a Hyuuga had come along and, instead of closing her tenketsu, they'd opened them instead. The chakra had overloaded her coils, and in the simplest terms, short circuited her brain.

She'd seen this before, on a much smaller scale. Mostly in the cases of ANBU, or others that took too many soldier pills on missions and basically overdosed. Kakashi-sensei had come in like that often enough at the hospital. She had no idea what this was going to do to her chakra. Turning off the water, Sakura stood there a moment, then stepped out, groaning when she realised she _still_ didn't have a towel.

Wringing her hair out as much as she could over the sink, Sakura walked naked out of the bathroom down to the bedroom, rummaging for something that she could use to dry herself. Once that was done, she pulled on some underwear, loose pants, and a shirt with kittens all over it. (it was too cute for her _not_ to get it!) Once done, she flopped onto the bed and sighed morosely.

How was she ever going to be able to face Minato now?! She'd come on to him, dry humped him, first in public (even if no one had been around) and then in his apartment! Never mind the fact that he'd ended up reciprocating, this wasn't something she _did_! Not with someone she'd known only two days. (the Fourth war didn't count, not for this past Minato)

And… what about Kushina? Sakura hadn't seen her around, and Inoichi's comment from the day before came back to her. ' _Finally moving on, 'ey?_ ' What on earth did he mean by that? Were they not together yet? Had they broken up, but would inevitably get back together? Or… Had she just tried to seduce another woman's boyfriend? Or whatever they might be.

Sakura _really_ didn't want to be the reason that Naruto wasn't born.

How was she going to avoid Minato? They lived in the same building, the same village. She was sure to bump into him again, it was unavoidable. But… She'd give it her best shot. Her horrific embarrassment would be enough motivation for her to avoid him. This would be kind of like that time, with that embarrassing situation that she didn't even want to think about with Team Gai. She'd avoided Neji like the plague after that, and only Tenten and Ino 'kidnapping' her and _forcing_ the two of them to talk it out had solved anything.

Luckily (or unluckily, if you don't count this instance) there was no Tenten or Ino to force her to talk to Minato.

Sakura sat up, then went and checked on the wards on her door. Still securely in place. She went back to her bedroom and got into bed, setting a chakra alarm of sorts within her body that would rouse her about seven in the morning. She fully intended for the window in her living room to be her door now, because there was _no way_ she was stepping foot out of the apartment the conventional way.

So windows it was, and she could imagine somewhere, somehow, Kakashi-sensei was proud of her for ditching the conventional use of doors.

OoOoO

She was avoiding him.

Minato huffed lightly in frustration as he stood there, watching Kakashi react poorly to his new team mates. Sakura had warded her door (he could feel the seals, could sense they were pretty strong, too) and he hadn't seen her since she'd bolted from his apartment. Well, that wouldn't be entirely true. Over the last few days, he'd seen a brief flash of pink a few times, before it had disappeared.

He wished she wasn't so intent on avoiding him, and he really couldn't do anything about it with how busy he was now being a more full time sensei. And speaking of senseis… He'd tried asking Jiraiya-sensei about her, but without revealing what had happened (and there was _no way_ he was going to do that!) he didn't really have a good reason as to why he'd be asking after her.

These last few days had, at the very least, given him time to think. Minato had finally decided to put aside his denial and admit that Shikaku was right. He really was interested in Sakura. He was _very_ interested in her. That part of him was frequently wishing that she hadn't come to her senses and fled, while a more rational part _was_ glad, because then he wouldn't have taken advantage of her in that state, no matter the fact that she'd been the instigator, and _so very_ insistent.

He sighed, then was distracted from his thoughts by the sight of Obito raising his fists and going for Kakashi. He stepped over quickly, grabbing Obito's fist, and the one Kakashi had brought up in retaliation.

"Enough, the both of you," he scolded. "The two of you need to put your issues aside and start working as a team."

"I still don't see why they had to join us in the first place, sensei," Kakashi said, and Minato could _hear_ the scowl in his voice. "We were _just fine_ on our own before."

"Konoha's ninja work in teams," Minato chastised, letting them both go once he was sure they wouldn't try to have another go at each other just yet. "From gennin, all the way to jounin. Even ANBU work in squads. They're here so you can all, and that _does_ include you, Kakashi, learn how to do that. This isn't something that you can simply scoff at, because like it or not, your team mates are going to be among the most important people to you for the rest of your life."

Kakashi glared at Obito, Obito glared back, and Rin sighed.

"Alright!" Minato said, clapping his hands together. "Let's get started. Obito, Rin, the two of you can spar. I want to see what level you're at. Kakashi, meditation. After an hour, you can work on your jutsu technique. Ready? Let's go then."

Three hours later, and Minato had a pretty good idea for a starting point for Obito and Rin. He knew Rin was interested in learning medical ninjutsu, so perhaps getting her some texts? A fleeting thought that he could ask Sakura was quashed by the remembrance that she was avoiding him. He sighed. He _really_ needed to corner her somehow, if only so he could apologise.

Obito _obviously_ needed help with both his taijutsu and ninjutsu. After he'd sparred with Rin, Minato had sparred with him. He'd seen how Obito was hesitant to hurt Rin, something he was going to need to get over, especially since Rin didn't seem to have that same issue. She'd dominated their spar. Obito had been hesitant with fighting Minato as well, but that issue had quickly disappeared with some encouragement, and he'd put his all, or as much as he could, into it.

Minato dismissed them for lunch, telling them to be back in two hours. Kakashi had instantly shunshined away, while the other two had walked at a normal pace, with Obito chattering away to Rin about what they would have for lunch. Minato in the meantime was going to pick up something quick to eat, then head to the Hokage tower and pick up some in-village D-rank missions for the afternoon.

It was as he was headed to the tower that he sensed a familiar chakra, and he hiraishined to it, coming face to face with a red haired woman he hadn't seen for a few weeks.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, boyo."

OoOoO

Sakura had successfully avoided Minato for three days, not counting a couple of near misses. Most of her time was spent at the Senju compound with Jiraiya, and she only went back to the apartment, _through the window_ , in order to sleep. Jiraiya had noticed something was up, but hadn't pressed. Well, he'd _stopped_ pressing once Sakura had threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't leave it alone.

That first day when she'd gone back into the compound, she'd been a little worried about what might happen, if there would be a repeat. But there hadn't been. No insidious whispers, no feeling that something was watching her, no call to go back to the tree. It was a relief.

Getting stuck into searching for the counter scroll kept her distracted enough. Jiraiya mentioned something vaguely once that they'd be looking through the Hokage archives in a few more days. Sakura'd mentioned to him about her theory that maybe the Nidaime's personal residence could have something, and he _hmm-ed_ a bit before agreeing it was worth looking into. Though Sakura didn't know how they'd get in there, since Tsunade wasn't going to be coming back to let her in any time soon.

Her aptitude test was also coming up. The Hokage had been rearranging some schedules for this. Sakura was only guessing, and she could be wrong, but she wondered if her taijutsu test would be against a Hyuuga. She knew theses tests were set as genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu. An Uchiha could cover any one of the other two, and she was uncertain who and what that would leave.

Right now, she was with Jiraiya in the Senju library. The two had been here for hours, with a brief break for lunch. The sun would be setting soon, would likely already be dipping to the horizon. Sakura stared at the rolls of scrolls before her. These were all about the last fifty years (from when they were written) of weapon care techniques in the clan. Bo-oring. She was pretty sure Tenten would've disagreed with her, though.

She stretched, feeling her bones pop, and she glanced over to where Jiraiya was scratching his head at some sheaves of paper. Walking over, she asked, "Whatcha got there?"

"I… have _no_ idea," he said, then pushed them away in a huff. "You know what? I think I'm done for the day. What do you say?"

Sakura glanced at the many shelves they still hadn't gone through. "I think you're right," she agreed, then her stomach rumbled and she blushed lightly. "Dinner?"

"A pretty girl asking me to dinner?" Jiraiya leered. "How can I say no?"

Sakura thwacked him over the head.

The two of them walked out of the library, through the compound, and towards the gate. Halfway there, Jiraiya vanished, and Sakura turned to see where the hell the pervert had gone. She saw him kind of cowering behind a fence, giving her the shush sign, but then a rather harsh voice prevented her from asking what was wrong.

"Who the _hell_ are you?"

Sakura spun around to meet angry, violet eyes, framed by vibrant red hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kushina's here!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? M rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! I had this completed a few hours after I posted the last one. ;) Normally I'd wait 24hrs, but what the heck, ey?
> 
> This is in Kushina's pov.

She'd been on a mission when she'd felt it. A shifting of the wards. Kushina was pretty sure that, wherever the hell she was, Tsunade had felt it too. Something had happened that night, something… _wild_. Not the sort of wild that she kept at bay from the world, _that_ had an evil taint to it. No, whatever had affected the wards was kinder, brighter, more in tune with life than with hate.

It was confusing the hell out of her!

Of course, she couldn't just rush back to Konoha, there was the mission after all. But a few days later they walked back into the village. Wantanabe Kaji and Yamanaka Hotaka were eager to get up to the Hokage tower to report, but Kushina made them take a slightly scenic route so she could check on the wards at the Senju compound.

"Why are we even here?" Kaji complained. "You do know that protocol says we're supposed to report in first, unless there are life threatening injuries, right?"

"I'm well aware of that, idiot," Kushina snapped. "I'm just gonna check the wards, won't be two seconds, ya know?"

Her team mate grumbled, but let it be for now. Hotaka slapped him on the shoulder. "Don't you worry about it," he told the man. "It's a clan thing."

"Whatever you say," Kaji rolled his eyes.

Kushina only needed a moment… the wards were intact. She sighed in relief. After a glance at her team mates she decided that she'd come back and do a proper check later.

"Let's go then," she said.

As the walked, Hotaka moved closer. "So, what's up?" he asked seriously, as he understood the importance of clan wards.

Kushina shrugged. "I felt the wards shift a few days ago," she told him. "But they seem fine, so maybe I'm just being paranoid, ya know?"

"Maybe," he agreed, and left it at that.

Once they were up at the Hokage office, they submitted their report. The three of them had been out at one of the border stations for the last few weeks, rather close to Grass Country. A long, _boring_ rotation, that made her glad she wasn't one of those poor saps that had to stay out there for _months._

Once they were done, they were about to take their leave, but the Hokage spoke up then. "Kushina-san, stay a moment would you?"

Hotaka and Kaji shared a look with her, then they left. "What can I do for you, Hokage-sama?" Kushina asked.

"I thought it pertinent to tell you that the council has been discussing pulling you from active duty," he told her.

" _WHAT_!? Why?" Kushina yelled, surprised.

"They are concerned about having such a valuable… asset… so close to enemy lines," he told her. "I want you to know, I am trying to forestall a decision. You are a talented kunoichi, Kushina, and I would like to keep you on the active roster. I don't know how long I can stall. It could be weeks, months, or even years, if they don't push it too hard."

Kushina was _not_ pouting. "I don't wanna be side-lined, ya know?" she said.

The Hokage sighed. "I do indeed know," he told her. "Don't worry, this may not end up passing through. I just wanted you to be well prepared, just in case."

Kushina bowed low. "Thanks, Hokage-sama," she said.

The Sandaime gave her a genuine smile. "You are welcome," he said, and dismissed her.

Kushina left then, walking down the hall for a few metres before she stopped. Placing a hand on her belly, she muttered, "Damn you," ignoring the feeling she had that it was laughing at her.

Suddenly someone was standing right in front of her and she startled, before grinning. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, boyo," she greeted.

Minato smiled at her, and said, "Kushina. I thought I sensed your chakra. Did you just get back?"

Kushina nodded. "Hotaka and Kaji are already gone, though, the Hokage kept me back to speak with me," she said.

She was feeling quite a bit awkward right now. She and Minato had been together for a few years, before they'd had the mother of all arguments over some stupid little thing that she couldn't even remember anymore. But… things had been said, the sort you just couldn't take back. The sort of things that had caused him to end it with her, even though she could see how much it hurt him to do so. That… had been almost a year and a half ago, now, and they'd only started to interact with one another again a few weeks before she'd left. But she'd been able to tell by then…

She'd moved on, and in a way, so had he.

"Oh, alright," Minato said, and the two were silent a moment, the awkwardness of it making Kushina's head hurt a bit.

"So," they both said, then stopped. "You first," Kushina said.

"Oh, um," Minato looked at a loss for words, then he seemed to find something to speak about. "So, I got a couple new gennin to teach."

Kushina's eyes bugged wide, then she laughed. "I bet Kashi-kun _hates_ that!" she said.

"Yeah," Minato said, smiling. "He's _really_ not happy. But it was always going to happen, the Hokage told me ages ago, when I first started mentoring Kakashi. I just… didn't tell him."

That sounded vaguely familiar, and Kushina wondered if he'd told her before, but she let it go.

"You got any plans tonight?" she asked.

"Well, it's Friday," Minato said. "I'm meeting up with Shikaku and the others at the barbeque restaurant tonight."

"Well, have fun with _that_ ," Kushina said, then decided she needed to go. "I've got some errands to run, then I need to head over to the compound. See you around?"

Minato nodded. "Sure," he said. "See you around."

He was gone the next second.

Kushina let out a whoosh of air she didn't know her lungs had been holding. Talk about awkward! Though, she supposed it wasn't as bad as it could have been. After all, she could have accidentally let slip about Yasu-kun… She wasn't sure Minato was ready to hear about her dating someone else, and she also wasn't sure she was ready to _tell_ him, either.

She left the tower then, almost forgetting to go back to the Senju compound. But once her errands were done (and she'd visited Yasu-kun) she headed over there. The sun was setting as she walked, and was almost completely down when she got there. She stared up at the gates, putting her hand up against them, noting again that they seemed intact. But to make sure… She pushed open the gate and stepped inside.

Walking through the streets, everything seemed as gloomy and empty as normal. It made her really sad, since no one with enough Senju blood in them was in the village anymore. Not since Tsunade left. Mito-sama had added her to the wards years ago, before she'd passed on her burden. Even though neither of them were Senju. But then, Mito-sama had been one of the ones who'd put up the wards in the first place, alongside the Shodaime and Nidaime.

Suddenly, Kushina froze. She could hear voices, and she didn't mean the sort that were in your head (there was only _one_ other voice than her own, thank you very much!). Frowning, she felt a bit of righteous anger rise in her, even more so when she saw who it was. That pervert Jiraiya! And… he'd brought some woman here? How dare he?! She stomped towards them, only he saw her, and hid like the coward he was. The woman on the other hand…

"Who the _hell_ are you?" Kushina demanded. "How did you get in here? _No one_ is supposed to be able to get in here, not even that _cowardly pervert_ hiding behind the fence! Yes, I see you, you perverted old toad!"

"Hey!" Jiraiya exclaimed, jumping out of his hiding place. "I resent that! I'm not _old_!"

"But you don't deny you're a perverted toad?"

"Of course not! I consider that a compliment!"

"Hah!"

A giggled interrupted them, and Kushina remembered about the woman, and glared at her. "Who are you?" she repeated.

Jiraiya was the one that spoke up. "This is Sakura, she's Tsunade's apprentice," he said.

It was then that Kushina noted the amulet hanging from her neck, and she recognised that it was indeed the one that Tsunade had taken with her. There were two, the other one was sealed away in Mito-sama's house. Kushina eyed the woman up and down, and in the low light, she managed to see the rhombus seal on the woman's forehead. _That_ put all her doubt aside.

"Oh, then welcome!" she said, a big grin on her face. "But… why are you in here? Do you know what happened a few days ago? I was out on a mission, but I _felt_ something happen to the wards, ya know?"

"Uh…"

"What happened?" Jiraiya asked, curiosity all over his face.

Kushina shrugged. "I felt the wards shift," she said. "Three nights ago."

"Well, we stayed pretty late that night," Jiraiya mused. "I left first, then Sakura…"

Kushina and Jiraiya turned to look at Sakura as one. The pinkette looked like she wanted to run and hide, but Kushina wasn't having that. She pounced! She grabbed onto Sakura's arm, linking her own in.

"Oh, come on!" she said, giving her best puppy-eyed look to her. "You can tell me, ya know!"

"Um, I found a tree," Sakura said.

Kushina pouted, and let go of her. "You found a _tree_?" she asked.

That was it?

"What sort of tree?" Jiraiya asked, and Kushina recognised that look, he knew something!

"Just one of the Shodai's trees!" Sakura said, obviously trying to pass it off as nothing.

" _Which one_?" Jiraiya asked, deadly serious.

Kushina was confused, and remained so until Sakura admitted, "The one in that little forest at the back of the compound."

Jiraiya let out a loud, long suffering sigh. "That tree marks the burial site of the Shodaime," he said. "In essence, it _is_ Senju Hashirama. It was the first tree he created in the village, and from what Tsunade-hime has reluctantly told me over the years, it has a _lot_ of his chakra in it. Sakura… what did you do?"

Sakura looked like she was trying to be as small as possible. "I… I touched it," she admitted. "I blacked out afterwards, and came to…"

"Came to what?" Jiraiya asked.

"Nothing!" she squeaked, looking rather guiltily over at Kushina.

Curious…

"I… I had chakra overload," Sakura went on before anyone could press her. "It would have affected me longer than it did, but my seal soaked up most of it, so I think I was only affected for about an hour or so? I'm not sure."

Jiraiya sighed. "You _really_ should have told me about this," he said, then turned to Kushina. "Do you think that was what caused it?"

Kushina shrugged. "Possibly," she said. "But I've never heard of anyone changing the wards just by _touching_ the tree. Well, except the Shodaime, of course. But that's because he was a Senju, and had the mokuton."

"Well, Sakura here _does_ have Senju blood in her," Jiraiya mused. "And Uzumaki as well."

Kushina lit up at that last bit. "Really?" she asked, suddenly all starry eyed. "So… we're family?"

She let out a whoop, startling the other two. "Oh, we're gonna be the best of friends, ya know!" she declared, then took hold of Sakura's arm once more, only this time she started dragging her out of the compound.

"Hey, wait!" Sakura complained. "Where are you taking me?"

"We're gonna go bond over ramen and sake!" Kushina declared. "Oh, and I suppose the pervert could join us too, if he promises to behave."

"I am _always_ the perfect gentleman!" Jiraiya argued, then joined Kushina in dragging Sakura out of the compound. "Sake sounds good, but I'm in the mood for tonkatsu!"

"Forget it, perve!" Kushina snarked. "We're having ramen!"

They argued all the way out into the village.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? M rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

Sakura reluctantly let herself be dragged through the streets of Konoha, listening to Kushina babble on about ramen. Naturally, she'd won the argument on where they would eat. Sakura's experience with Naruto and his _passion_ for ramen had taught her well enough how to handle his mother, who she was beginning to realise, he took after more than his father.

…She pushed away all current thoughts of that particular man…

Jiraiya had caved halfway there, on the promise that they could go to a bar for the sake afterwards. Now he was ambling along easily beside them, a grin on his face as he watched Kushina trample right over any and all protests that Sakura had. The traitor. Finally, they reached Ichiraku's, and Kushina pulled her into the stand with her.

"Greetings!" Teuchi said, then his eyes lit up when he saw Kushina. "My favourite customer! So glad to see you back in the village! Hope your mission went well."

"It did," Kushina confirmed. "I'll have four bowls of shio ramen!"

"Coming right up!" Teuchi said. "And… ah, welcome back! What would you two like tonight?"

"I'll have that absolutely delicious chicken soy ramen of yours," Jiraiya said.

"Um, just miso ramen with pork," Sakura said.

They all sat on their stools, with Kushina almost _bouncing_ in her seat as they waited for their food. "So, so!" Kushina said. "You never did answer why you were in the compound, you know."

Sakura opened her mouth, then closed it, not sure what to say. She shared a glance with Jiraiya, who decided to speak up, and he said, "That's not something we can talk about without the right protection in place."

"Well, now you've made me _really_ curious," Kushina said, eyeing the two of them off. "I mean, you've got Tsunade's amulet, so I figure it must be important…"

"It's up to Sakura to tell you," Jiraiya said. "But like I said, not here."

The red head nodded, and Sakura was spared any more immediate interrogation by the arrival of their food.

Kushina ate just like Naruto (if a little more neatly), and it made Sakura's heart ache for _home_ that much more. Even if technically she was home. _Technically_. Jiraiya told a grand tale about his last mission (obviously exaggerated, as a storyteller is wont to do) to entertain them while they ate, with the appropriate disbelief added in by both women at the right time. Once, Sakura even thumped him over the head for some of the things he had to say.

All in all, Sakura had a lot of fun, and was looking forward to getting a drink with Kushina. And Jiraiya too, she supposed. Teuchi waved them off happily, and they walked through the streets, Kushina having claimed Sakura's arm again.

"Well, where should we go?" Kushina asked. "There's the Fine Sip, the Sparkling Sake, the Diving Daiki…"

"Diving Daiki?" Sakura asked. "Why's it called that?"

"Something to do with their sales pitch," Kushina said, then waved her hand dismissively. "I forget what it is."

"They've got sake, shochu, umeshu, imported whisky, beer, and a whole lot more," Jiraiya said, defending when they gave him a 'look', "It was Tsunade-hime's favourite place before she left!"

"That's true," Kushina mused. "They're the best bar in town, and they even have a restaurant attached to it. A barbeque place. It's Akimichi owned, so you _know_ it's good."

"So people can have dinner, then drink to their hearts content?" Sakura asked, and Kushina grinned.

"Exactly!" she said. "So, are we agreed then? We're going to Daiki's?"

The 'ayes' were unanimous.

When they got there, Sakura recognised the restaurant. It was the one that Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji frequented. She vaguely recalled Ino saying there'd once been a bar there too. Huh. The three of them went in, straight up to the bar, and Jiraiya started ordering drinks. The drinking age for civilians in Konoha was twenty, but for shinobi, it was fifteen. Sakura, thanks to her mentor-ship with Tsunade, had actually had her first shot of alcohol at fourteen. Her fourteenth _birthday_ , to be exact.

Shizune had been _furious_ at shishou for letting Sakura have alcohol so soon.

They were four rounds in when a prickling sensation, like she was being watched, crept up the back of her neck. Sakura looked around the bar, finally finding the culprit when she spotted a table full of shinobi. There were the parents of her generation's Ino-Shika-Cho trio, a few others she _vaguely_ recognised, as well as some she didn't know at all.

And also… Minato.

She froze in her seat as their eyes met. Her embarrassment from the other night rose, causing her cheeks to flush (even though they were starting to pinken anyway thanks to the alcohol) and she had to _force_ herself to look away. Neither Kushina nor Jiraiya had noticed, both of them too busy downing their fifth round of alcohol. Sakura took her shot of shochu in one go, doing her best to ignore the gaze piercing into the back of her skull.

It didn't seem to matter, though, as moments later, Inoichi had spotted them.

"Hey!" he called as he got a little unsteadily to his feet before ambling over. "Jiraiya-sama, Kushina! How long have you two been here? Oh, and Sakura too? I didn't see you there."

Sakura rolled her eyes at his lame attempt at… whatever he was doing. "Why don't you guys come over and join us?"

"I don't know…" Kushina said, glancing over to where Minato was.

"Oh, come on," Inoichi said. "Your breakup was _months_ ago. Like a year or more. Besides, I know you're both talking again. Or… are you worried he'll find out about… _Yasu_?"

Kushina grabbed Inoichi by the collar and yanked him close. "How do _you_ know about him?" she practically growled.

"Who's Yasu?" Jiraiya asked.

"He's Kushina's new boyfriend," Inoichi said, stumbling backwards when said woman abruptly let him go.

"You're dating someone?" came a familiar voice, and they all looked up to see that Minato had come over.

Kushina groaned and glared at Inoichi. "Uh, yes," she admitted. "Sorry, I didn't want you to find out this way."

Minato shrugged. "It's fine, really," he said. "You're allowed to date, we both are."

Sakura was _shell-shocked_. Kushina was dating someone, and it _wasn't_ Minato? How the…? _What the…?_ Was this an alternate time line? …No, the seals on the scroll had been clear. So what in the name of the Sage was going on here? She glanced at Kushina, who looked a bit embarrassed, but stubborn, then looked at Minato, who didn't really seem all that bothered about this news. Unless he was hiding it well.

Minato looked up then, meeting her wide eyes. There was something in that gaze, something that both terrified and thrilled her. Sakura wasn't too sure she wanted to know what he was thinking when he looked at her like that…

"So," Inoichi said, interrupting her thoughts. "You never did answer my question… Wanna join us?"

OoOoO

He couldn't believe it when she walked in the door. And with _Kushina_? When had the two of them met? Sensei was with them too, and _relatively_ behaving himself, by the look of it. Minato felt he'd walked into an alternate dimension somehow…

Shikaku nudged him. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, indicating toward Kushina.

Minato gave him a stare. "I'm fine," he said. "We're… getting there."

"Alright," Shikaku said. "But you _know_ Inoichi, or heck, even Hideki, will probably invite them over as soon as they spot them."

"It's _fine_ ," Minato stressed, taking a sip of his drink, staring at Sakura.

Shikaku was watching him carefully, glancing over to the bar a couple of times. "Or maybe," he spoke, "it's not Kushina that you're concerned with. Maybe it's Sakura."

Minato kept his expression clear, but his friend knew him too well. "Ah, so it is. And… something happened, didn't it?" Shikaku was annoyingly observant, and then smug. "It did. So, you finally admitted it to yourself then?"

"Shut up," Minato said as he downed his glass in one go.

Shikaku chuckled, and went back to his drink.

Minato continued to glance up at her, catching her gaze once, until she forcefully (he could _tell_ ) looked away. He'd been wondering what he would do or say when he finally came face to face with her. He still had the apology he wanted to give, but… He also wanted to say more. To ask her if… But not in a bar full of his nosy (Shikaku) gossiping (Inoichi, and quite frankly, Kenji) friends.

Then, Inoichi spotted them.

"Hey!" the blond yelled, then stumbled to his feet, headed over to the bar.

"Someone should go keep an eye on him," Chouza said.

Minato sighed. "I'll do it," he volunteered, then got up and went over.

"…Yasu?" Jiraiya-sensei was asking.

"He's Kushina's new boyfriend," Inoichi said, and Minato stilled in shock briefly, then wondered over the fact of how that didn't bother him as much as he'd thought it would.

"You're dating someone?" he asked, drawing their attention to him.

"Uh, yes," Kushina admitted with a groan. "Sorry, I didn't want you to find out this way."

Minato shrugged. "It's fine, really," he told her. "You're allowed to date, we both are."

"So," Inoichi said. "You never did answer my question… Wanna join us?"

"We'd love to!" Jiraiya said, leading Kushina over and _dragging_ Sakura with him.

Shikaku, the devious bastard, managed to manoeuvre the seating so that Minato was sitting next to Sakura. Not that he minded, but he could tell how tense Sakura was. A waiter was called over, and alcohol was plied liberally to the table. Minato noted how Sakura seemed to be downing her sake with a vengeance, and felt bad at how uncomfortable she was. He watched her carefully from the corner of his eye, taking note of how much alcohol she was consuming.

He glanced up briefly once and met Kushina's eye. Her brow was raised in question as she looked between him and Sakura. She seemed to contemplate it, then gave him a quick grin and a discreet thumbs up (that he was _sure_ at least half the table had seen). Okay then…

Time passed and they all chatted and drank. Inoichi tried to flirt with Sakura, and she looked _incredibly_ uncomfortable once she realised. And… horrified?

"Don't mind him," Chouza was saying to her. "He's just mad because his dad's told him he's gonna marry him off next year. So he's 'sowing his wild oats' as much as he can before then."

"Well, go sow them elsewhere," Sakura scowled. "It's not happening here, buster."

Inoichi pouted.

The night wore on, and eventually people started leaving. Chouza was the first to leave, then others followed suit. Shikaku took upon himself the 'troublesome' task of getting an absolutely plastered Inoichi home, and sensei slunk off not long after that. Then Kushina left, muttering something about Yasu, and that was when Sakura decided to leave too. Minato stood a second after she did.

"I'll walk you home," he said, following her.

"Y-you don't need to," she protested.

"It'll be fine," he told her. "Besides, we live in the same building, remember?"

Sakura couldn't seem to find a coherent argument for that.

The two of the walked along the road, with Sakura doing a weird skip every now and then that he was sure was her almost tripping, then righting herself. Minato wasn't surprised, after all that she'd drunk. They were halfway there, when he decided to speak up.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Now she _did_ stumble, and he reached forward to catch her before she fell. "Wh-what are you sorry for?" she asked.

"The other night?" Minato said, still holding on to her. "You were obviously inebriated somehow, and I took advantage of that. So… I'm sorry."

Sakura shook her head and pulled away. "It's not your fault," she told him. "I… I'd just had a chakra overload. My brain was pretty fried, but…"

Whatever she was going to say, he didn't find out.

They walked in silence for a bit, then Sakura said, "So, you and Kushina…?"

Minato sighed. "We were together," he confirmed. "But then we had a massive fight. My fault, I said something that… Well, never mind what it was. But some pretty hurtful things were said that day and… There's just no going back from that. Besides, it's alright now, and Kushina's got someone new. I'm glad for her."

Sakura had stopped now, and she looked up at him, a frown on her face. "You really mean that," she whispered. "The two of you… you're really done?"

Minato nodded, and Sakura let out a sigh, before resuming walking.

They reached their apartment building and walked up to the third floor, stopping in front of Sakura's door. She did something with her chakra, and the seals that Minato had sensed were now gone. She unlocked her door and was about to go in, but then Minato reached out to stop her.

"Sakura," he started, then stopped, not knowing how to say it… then continued a moment later, "I meant what I said, I _am_ sorry about the other night, whether you think I need to apologise or not. But I want to tell you… I also don't regret it."

Sakura's eyes widened at his admission. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Minato took in a deep breath and told her, "I like you. A lot. I want to get to know you, spend time with you. If… if you're agreeable to that?"

She stared up at him, eyes wide, and then she swallowed hard. "I don't…"

"Please just think about it, okay?" he asked her, interrupting any possible rejection, and she reluctantly nodded.

He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Good night, Sakura," he said, then turned to go to his door…

Only to be yanked back, Sakura's lips on his in a deeper, fierce kiss that left him breathless. Minato immediately responded, snaking an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. They stayed like that for a bit, just tasting one another, before Sakura pulled away. She opened her door, stepped through, sent him a smile, and said, "Good night, Minato."

And then he was alone standing outside her door, left with an unsatisfied feeling, at the same time as a huge grin split across his face.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? M rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of plot, a little MinaSaku, and some foreshadowing, even if it's a bit light.

Sakura was staring at her hand, activating her healing chakra, cutting it off, activating it, cutting it off, activating it… Rinse and continuously repeat.

She was _supposed_ to be reading through the scroll in front of her, but was distracted by the rather fascinating phenomenon that was happening with her chakra. She'd only noticed it in the last day or so, but had already figured that it must have happened a bit before that. Judging from what she'd observed so far, it would have been that night with the tree, the blackout, and the Shodaime's chakra.

"What on earth are you doing?" Jiraiya asked, reminding her that she wasn't alone here.

Sighing, Sakura cut her chakra off, lowering her hand. "Something weird is going on with my chakra," she said. "Ever since I touched the tree." She shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, I suppose."

Jiraiya leaned back in his chair. "You're having problems?" he asked, obviously not willing to let it slide. "What sort?"

Sakura shrugged. "Not _problems_ , per se," she admitted. "It's more that my chakra is… different. The elemental nature is more balanced as well. And I swear my reserves are a bit bigger too."

"A change in a person's chakra isn't something that happens without a major catalyst," Jiraiya lectured. "What's your nature affinity?"

"Earth, with minor water," Sakura told him.

"Hmm," he mused thoughtfully. "Maybe it has something to do with the Shodaime's tree?"

"That's my theory," Sakura agreed. "It's… not really doing anything harmful, it's more like, my chakra is reacquainting itself with my coils? I'm not entirely sure."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You should probably get a full checkup of your chakra system," he suggested. "Maybe have a Hyuuga or someone like that take a look?"

"I don't think I have the time to worry about that right now," Sakura said. "Besides, the sooner we figure this," she indicated with a sweeping gesture the scrolls before them, "out, the sooner I can get home. If I still have a problem then…" She trailed off.

"I still think you should look into it," Jiraiya said. " _And_ you know my opinion on all of this. You really should think about my suggestion. I mean, you haven't really said much about the fight you were in the middle of when you came here, but you get this haunted look, so maybe it's something you'd want to change?"

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes. She probably _should_ do something about it. After all, all of those lives lost could be saved if she stayed. She couldn't deny that she was tempted… But, how was she supposed to take on Madara and Zetsu? She had no idea where they even were right now, for one. Sure, she could probably do something about Danzou, the Uchiha, stuff like that. But the other stuff? She glanced at Jiraiya, wondering if he could help?

"It was a war," she caved and told him. "But… I don't know what I could do about it! The enemy… I'm not sure I could do anything, those pieces were in play long before I was born. Even before _you_ were born!"

Jiraiya looked stunned, then he turned to her eagerly, and said, "Well, you won't have to do it alone! I'll help. And I'm sure Hime would help. And Sensei too!"

He was so eager, it was like a puppy bouncing up and down and wagging his tail for treats, and Sakura couldn't help but giggle. She sighed and shook her head in lingering amusement. "I appreciate that, thanks," she said. "I still want to find that scroll though, just in case."

Jiraiya nodded, though he deflated a little at the mention of the scroll, and he settled back into his chair. "You wanna tell me about it, then?" he asked.

"Now?"

"No time like the present."

Sakura had the feeling he was taking advantage of the fact she hadn't said no, and she sighed. "The Fourth Shinobi War," she said. "All five elemental nations united together to fight a common foe, one Uchiha Madara." She glanced at him to see his reaction.

Jiraiya blinked. Then blinked again. "You're kidding me," he deadpanned.

Sakura shook her head. "Nope," she said. "Even though the one who initiated it was wasn't _actually_ Madara, he was still an Uchiha, and almost as powerful. But then the Nidaime's forbidden jutsu, the edo tensei, was used, and the _real_ Madara was brought back. Kinda went to shit after that, even if it already had been bad enough."

Sakura went on to tell him an abridged version of what she knew, from the formation of the Akatsuki, to the declaration of war at the summit, the three day fight, and how in the end, it was just her and her team. Jiraiya quite frankly looked like he'd wished he'd never even asked, especially when he learned that his team mate, Orochimaru, had defected at some point.

She doubted he'd leave her alone about changing things now, especially after _that_.

"So… how do you want to change that?" Sakura asked conversationally after she'd given Jiraiya a bit of time to absorb it all.

He gave her a _look_ , then sighed. "We can start in-village," he said. "You said fake Madara was an Uchiha named Obito? Well, we find out who he is, then we…"

"He's one of Minato's new gennin," Sakura interrupted.

She'd found out that morning from Minato that he had his full team now. He'd knocked at her door, greeting her with a long, lingering kiss, and had invited her out for breakfast. Apparently Obito and the girl Rin had joined him and Kakashi as a team while Sakura'd been avoiding him. She'd carefully kept her face neutral upon learning this, as now the clock was ticking for that mission where everything for Obito had started. She didn't know _all_ the details, mostly that it was the Kannabi Bridge mission that had all but ended the Third Shinobi War, and that Minato hadn't reached his team in time.

Sakura sighed, then saw the surprise on Jiraiya's face, before he grinned. "Well, that's perfect!" he said. "Much easier to keep an eye on him, I suppose."

"He's only nine now," Sakura said. "I think it'll be a few years before the mission he 'died' on."

"Plenty of time, then," Jiraiya said. "Now, how about we…"

He was interrupted by a door banging open and a rather loud red head traipsing in. "Oi, Sakura!" Kushina greeted. "I've come to rescue you from the clutches of this annoying pervert! Let's go get lunch!"

Jiraiya groaned and Sakura giggled. "Alright," she said, standing. "I could use a break from all this research anyway."

Kushina eagerly grabbed her arm and started dragging her off. "Ichiraku, here we come!" she cheered.

"No way!" Sakura denied. "We had that last night. Time for _my_ favourite food now."

"But Sakura!" Kushina whined, and they left to the sound of Jiraiya's booming laughter.

OoOoO

After lunch (Kushina got her way) Sakura was headed back to the compound when she ran into Minato and his team. They were obviously running a D-ranked mission, because the kids were carrying a couple of boxes each of documents. Minato's face lit up when he saw her.

"Sakura," he greeted. "Fancy running into you here."

"I just had lunch with Kushina," she told him, leaning up into the kiss he placed lightly on her cheek. "I wanted tempura, but she insisted that we go to Ichiraku's, because apparently today's lunch special was _unmissable_.I'm headed back to the compound now."

"Who's this, sensei?" Obito piped up, but before Minato could say anything, Kakashi said, "She's the apprentice of the Sannin, Tsunade."

The girl, Rin, gasped. "So… are you a medical ninja too?" she asked. "Oh-oh! I want to be a medical ninja as well. I've already started working on the basics, and Minato-sensei has promised to get me some scrolls and books on the subject, and-!"

"Calm down, Rin," Minato said with a smile, then turned back to Sakura. "You mean the Senju compound, right? I've always wanted to see inside there, but Kushina was pretty touchy about letting anyone in there. I wouldn't be surprised if she's given you an earful about sensei being in there."

Sakura shrugged. "He had permission from shishou," she told him. "Even if she's not here, Tsunade-shishou is the Senju Clan head, so that would override anything Kushina had to say."

Minato nodded, and Sakura glanced down at the scowling Kakashi, bored Obito, and disturbingly starry-eyed Rin. "I'd offer to give you the tour now, but it seems like you've got your hands full," she said.

He let out a sigh. "Next time then?" he asked, and she nodded. "Alright you lot, let's get going! I'll see you later, Sakura."

He gave her another kiss, and she watched him go before she headed off to the Senju compound.

OoOoO

"You kissed her!" Obito was practically singing. "Sensei's got a girlfriend! Sensei's got a girlfriend!"

"Idiot! Shut up!" Kakashi looked like he wanted to hit his team mate, but his hands were full, so he settled for shoving him with his shoulder instead.

"Stop that before you drop the boxes," Minato ordered. "Obito, don't be so childish, you're a shinobi now. And Kakashi, don't shove your team mate."

Kakashi just grumbled as they continued along.

Once they dropped off the boxes, Minato herded them back up to the Hokage tower so they could pick up one more mission before afternoon training. They ended up going out to the Nara farms to collect some supplies to deliver to the clan's medical section, and the trip outside the village walls, even if it was only a two minute run at shinobi speed, made both of his gennin and his chuunin happy. Even if Kakashi didn't show it.

Afterwards, they were back at the training grounds Minato favoured, with Kakashi and Obito sparring (though the Uchiha looked more like he was _brawling_ ), leaving Rin to pester her sensei about the 'amazing medic he was dating'.

"Please!?" she was saying. "Couldn't you just ask her if she could teach me? She learned from _Tsunade-sama_! That's closer than I ever thought I could get to learning from the Sannin herself! I mean, she's her _apprentice_!"

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask," Minato said carefully. "But Sakura's very busy right now with some research project she's got going on in the Senju archives. She might not have the time."

Rin's eyes were wide. "Do you know what's she's researching?" she asked. "I bet it's some revolutionary new medical technique, or something else like that!"

"I… don't actually know," Minato admitted.

He couldn't deny, he was quite curious about what Sakura was doing in there with his sensei. Did Kushina know? Maybe he could ask Sakura, but would she tell him? He knew that she and sensei never really talked about it outside the compound's wards, so it might be classified… Minato mentally shook himself and pushed it away. If he needed to know, he was sure she'd tell him.

"It doesn't matter," he said, forestalling anything Rin might have said. "Now, let's see how you've been doing with your katas…"

Later, after training had ended, Minato returned home, sensing that Sakura wasn't back yet. He gazed idly in the direction of the Senju compound, where he could vaguely sense both hers and sensei's chakra behind the wards, and couldn't help but wonder what she was researching, despite himself…


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? M rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

Sakura turned up at his team training the next afternoon. After greeting her with a kiss, Minato shooed his gennin away (though Rin didn't go easily) then let her lead him through the village.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"The Senju compound," she told him. "I thought I'd give you that tour you wanted."

"Are you sure that's alright?" Minato asked, trying to hide his enthusiasm, though he must have been unsuccessful, judging by her grin.

"Don't worry," she reassured him, "Kushina's on a mission until tomorrow, so she won't come chasing you out with a big stick or anything like that."

"I doubt she'd do that," Minato said, then frowned. "At least, I don't thinkshe would…"

Sakura giggled.

They soon reached the gates of the compound, and Sakura held his hand, with their fingers interlaced, as he stepped through. Minato felt the cool chakra of the wards wash over him as he stepped through, felt the way it connected to Sakura's own chakra, which felt like rain and earth. That gave him a clue to her nature affinity, at least. One of the perks of being a sensor. Once they were through, the compound lay before him, and he stared in awe at the sight of all the traditional style houses.

It was quite a bit like the Uchiha compound that way. But then, the Uchiha and Senju were both founding clans, after all. Even the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka were a bit more modern than this, even if they did still have some traditional elements. Those three clans had been the first to agree to join the village once the building had started, followed shortly by the Sarutobi and a few of their smaller allies.

"So, what kind of tour do you want?" Sakura asked. "Do you just want the main sights? Or do you want to see the hidden gems of the compound as well?"

"…That kind of sounded like a tourism pitch," Minato said, earning him a giggle. "How about we start with the main stuff, and go from there?"

"Alright," Sakura nodded, then looped her arm through his. "Let's start with the main residences then."

Half an hour later, and they were standing in front of the Shodaime and Nidaime's houses. Minato was just _staring_ up at them, while Sakura laughed at him. "Stop laughing," he ordered, embarrassed at his gaping, and she mimed zipping her lips shut. "What's down that path?" he then asked.

Sakura sobered and stared to where he pointed. "The Shodaime's grave," she said. "That's a no-go zone for you, in case you were wondering."

Minato nodded, respectful and just a little bit superstitious of going anywhere near the resting place of the first ever Hokage. Sakura grabbed hold of him and they headed down the street to a large building. The sign over the door said it was a library.

"This is where Jiraiya and I are most of the time," she told him as they walked up the steps. "Main rule here is, no pocketing scrolls. Even Jiraiya's not allowed to do that."

"Are you?" Minato asked as they stepped in through the doors.

"Probably, but I still leave them all here anyway," she told him.

Jiraiya-sensei was inside when they went in.

"Minato!" he greeted. "I wasn't expecting you to show up."

He gave Sakura a look that Minato didn't understand, but she just shrugged. "He wanted to see the compound," was all she said.

"What are you looking for?" Minato asked, even as Sakura let go of him to look at what scrolls were in front of Jiraiya.

"A scroll written by the Nidaime," Jiraiya told him. "A counter to a jutsu in another scroll of his."

"A counter scroll…?"

Sakura let out an undignified snort. "Shishou and the baka here activated the other scroll," she said.

"And you want to fix what happened?" Minato guessed.

Sakura and Jiraiya shared a glance, and the latter shrugged. "Maybe," Sakura said. "Depends on if there's even one at all, and on how things go with the… _effects_ …of the jutsu."

"Don't look at me like that, mini-hime," Jiraiya said. "You _know_ what I think about the whole thing."

Sakura sighed, even as Minato looked confused. "I did tell you some stuff," she said.

"But not all of it," was the counter.

Minato stared from one to the other, then back again. "The two of you are making no sense whatsoever," he said flatly.

Sakura sighed and said, "Don't worry about it. In the meantime, wanna help? All you have to do is find something written by the Nidaime. We've found a couple, so you can match his handwriting to anything you find."

Minato picked up a scroll she indicated, eyes running over it briefly to find that it was a rather bland looking report on the financial status of the clan. By the looks of it, even the Nidaime was bored by writing this. He sighed. "Where do I start?"

OoOoO

They'd spent hours going through scrolls (coming up empty handed as usual) before Jiraiya called it quits for the day. Sakura decided it was all enough too, and after the sannin was gone, she led Minato out onto the streets of the compound.

"There's somewhere I haven't shown you yet," she said. "Wanna see?"

"Of course," Minato agreed.

She led him to a little garden that was near the Shodaime's house. Sakura'd discovered it on her third day in the compound, and decided it was the best place to go to when she needed a break from all the scrolls. It was quite overgrown with flowers, some dead, but most were alive. In fact, some of the 'dead' ones even looked like they were starting to do better lately. Must have been the rain they'd had a few nights ago.

"Nice," Minato said.

Sakura gave him a 'look'. "It's more than nice," she told him. "It's peaceful here, and not just because the whole compound is deserted. Because it doesn't feel like that here. Come on! Sit, close your eyes, and just _listen_."

"Listen to what?" Minato asked as Sakura pushed him to sit on a marble bench.

"To nothing, everything," she said, sitting next to him and closing her eyes. "Just _listen_."

Minato sighed and followed her example, _listening_. Sakura smiled lightly as she heard nothing.

"I still don't get it," Minato said, and she shushed him.

After a few minutes, Sakura felt his fingers thread through hers, and she opened her eyes to see that he was staring at her. He raised a hand to her face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and she tried not to blush. She must have failed at least a little bit, because he grinned at her, then leaned down to press his lips to hers. Sakura's lips parted to allow his tongue entrance to deepen their kiss.

Minato pulled her closer, both hands now cupping her face. Sakura's arms came up to wrap around his neck, and he pulled her to him, lifting her up by her upper thighs so that she ended up straddling him. Warmth suffused her as she pressed against him, and she felt even more warmth, this time pooling in her stomach. One of his hands moved down to cup a breast, and Sakura gasped into their kiss.

Their lips parted, but Minato didn't stop, instead trailing a path along her chin to her ear, which he nibbled. Sakura let out a soft little sigh at this, before she reluctantly pulled back. The hand that was not on her breast moved down to the small of her back as they stared at one another. The other one stayed where it was. She grinned at him.

"You alright with your hand there?" she asked, voice a little husky.

"I have no complaints," he said, squeezing lightly.

Sakura giggled and kissed his nose, then said, "You know, other than when we had breakfast… I don't think we've been on a proper date yet."

Minato frowned, though she could see it was a playful one. "Well, that's not right," he said. "How about tomorrow night? You can get all dressed up, I'll take you to a fancy restaurant, and even walk you to your door like a gentleman."

"I like that idea, but nothing spicy please," she said, then glanced down briefly. "Do you suppose I could have my breast back?" she asked.

He sighed dramatically. "If you must," he said, and lowered his hand.

Sakura disentangled herself from his grasp, then stood. She held out her hand, and Minato took it. They walked back through the compound streets, never having noticed the dead flowers in the garden were now alive and as fresh as the day they'd been planted.

OoOoO

Tsunade threw back another shot of sake, moping. She was depressed, because she was doing something that she'd sworn she'd never, _ever_ do. And that was, go back to Konoha. Glowering at the jug of sake in front of her, she poured another shot and downed that as well. All of this was Sakura's fault, she just _knew_ it.

The other day, something had happened. A shift in the wards, and she knew that now, she and her niece slash cousin Kushina weren't the only ones on the wards at the Senju compound anymore. She'd _felt_ them change, and also felt obligated to go check on them. That was the wards at work. They were calling her home, and she resented that.

So she sat drinking, even though she'd have a hangover tomorrow. It would make her grumpy as hell, but she didn't care. It would be a few more days before she and Shizune (who was _ecstatic_ at being able to go back to the village) arrived, and Tsunade was determined that they weren't going to be wasted. Her last days of freedom, as it were.

Whatever that brat had done, she was going to give her a _hell_ of a lecture over it. The way the wards had changed, there was only one thing that could have done that, and she cursed her grandfather for leaving that behind after he'd gone. Sure, it was family tradition dating back from who knew how long. But the wards that were centred in a _tree_ of all things, were unpredictable and unreliable.

Sighing, she kept pouring her sake until there was no more left, then loudly ordered another from the barkeeper, determined that she wasn't going to get through this day sober. She was going back to _Konoha_. Her life _sucked_.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line? M rated, MinaSaku, Mokuton Sakura. BAMF Sakura. Don't like, don't read.

She gasped and moaned as his lips attacked her neck, tilting her head back, allowing him access. Sakura was currently pressed up against a wall in her apartment, with Minato assaulting her lips, her neck, her cheek, anywhere really. He was pressed against her so deliciously, she didn't even have much coherent thought to veto his actions anyway.

He'd come over to take her out for breakfast again (it was looking to become a habit, not that she minded), and his good morning kiss had turned into… this. Not that she was complaining. No, not at all. She buried her face in his shoulder as his lips latched onto her neck, leaving his mark on her. His teeth scraped her skin, and she sighed in delight.

Reluctantly, Minato pulled away. "Sorry," he breathed a bit harshly. "Got a bit carried away."

"N-no complaints here," Sakura stuttered as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

They walked hand in hand out of the building, with Sakura still trying to catch her breath for a bit. She was just… He just… Their physical attraction was rather intense, and left her so breathless. It was taking a bit of getting used to, but she was totally fine with exposure to more of _that_.

They went to the same place as yesterday, both of them ordering a traditional breakfast, and they chatted lightly about what they were going to do that day. Sakura was going to the Senju compound again, and Minato would be joining his team at seven thirty for team training, and then some D-ranked missions. They touched briefly on the subject of their date that night, but Minato wouldn't get drawn too far into it.

"Just make sure you're ready by seven thirty," he told her.

Right as they were finishing their breakfast, an ANBU appeared. "Haruno-san, the Hokage requests your immediate presence."

Sakura sighed and stood as the ANBU shunshined away. "I'd better head up there then," she said as Minato also stood and lightly kissed her lips.

"I should probably head off to meet my team anyway," he murmured against her mouth. "See you tonight."

Sakura left then, headed for the Hokage tower. She wondered as she walked what it was that the Sandaime wanted. Maybe it had to do with her assessment? When she arrived, the ANBU guard right outside let her in immediately, sealing the room behind her.

"Sakura, good morning," the Hokage greeted her. "I've been working on getting your assessment ready, and I've got all three ninja you'll be tested against in the village for the next week. We can do the assessment anywhere within the next five days."

"Oh, that's great," Sakura said (nailed it!) smiling a bit. "When do you think would be best, Hokage-sama?"

"Well, today's Monday," he mused. "How about on Wednesday?"

Sakura nodded. "Sounds good," she agreed.

"In the meantime," the Hokage went on, "I think you should go visit the hospital to sort out your problem with your chakra."

With a grimace, Sakura realised that Jiraiya had told on her, the sneak. "Of course, Hokage-sama," was all she said though.

"Now," he said leaning back. "Tell me how you've been doing. I hope you've been fitting in well in the village?"

A delicate pink brow rose, and she wondered just where he was going with this. "I've been doing great, Hokage-sama," she said.

He nodded. "Good, good," he mused. "Jiraiya's been keeping me up to date on your search… He also mentioned that you've decided to tell him about events that happen in the future, though he also said he thinks there are some things you _aren't_ telling him."

Sakura sighed. "I… I've come to realise that maybe Jiraiya was right, and that maybe I _should_ change things," she said. "Though I believe that if there is a counter scroll, and I change things, I might not be able to get back. And yet…"

"And yet, you are making bonds here that you aren't sure if you can break," the Sandaime finished for her, then sighed. "No one can tell you what you should and shouldn't do in that regard. But I would ask you to consider… Would it really be a bad thing to stay? Jiraiya told me that Fukasaku-sama had said that the other time traveller he came across _couldn't_ get back to his own time. You may not have the choice."

Sakura'd forgotten about that…

"You're both probably right," she said, and let out a huff of defeat. "Do you want me to submit a report?"

The Hokage regarded her thoughtfully. "Perhaps it would be best if you worked on a full report with Jiraiya," he eventually said. "I'm sure there are things that would be best kept out of an official report, you and Jiraiya can fill me in on those bits with the proper seals in place, after your official report. Until then, we will continue as normal. Now go, I'm sure you still have a lot to do at the Senju Compound."

Sakura bowed at the dismissal, and left.

OoOoO

It was a frowning Jiraiya that greeted her at the Senju library.

"You're dating Minato," he stated.

"…Yes?" Sakura confirmed.

"You're dating him, even though you're still insistent on looking for that counter scroll," he said.

She pursed her lips. "I…"

"Look," he said, his tone of voice rather authoritative, "Minato's my student, even if he doesn't have anything more to really learn from me. He's basically family and… Well, I guess I just want to know what your intentions with him are."

Sakura's eyes were wide. "Are you doing the whole overprotective father role here?" she asked incredulously.

"What? Is that so hard to believe?" Jiraiya asked.

Sakura just shrugged. "I… I don't know what's going to happen," she said. "We're going on a date tonight, though. A proper date."

Jiraiya eyed her up and down. "Have you gone on a date before?" he asked, then something seemed to occur to him. "Wait! How old are you? You're not fifteen or under, are you?"

Sakura made a face. "I don't look that young!" she complained. "I'm _seventeen_!"

"Hmm…" Jiraiya scratched his chin thoughtfully as he contemplated her. "Definitely legal, even by civilian standards. Minato's nineteen, and I guess two years isn't _that_ big of a difference, so I suppose I can approve. But… with the war you told me about… I don't suppose… Have you ever even dated before?"

"What is with these questions?" Sakura demanded.

"Just looking out for him," Jiraiya said with a shrug. "And you as well. You're a good kid, I guess."

"You _guess_?" Sakura all but growled.

"Are you going to answer my questions?" he asked.

"…No, I've never been on a date before," she told him through gritted teeth.

"No dating?" he asked, looking disappointed. "I shudder to think then if you've even had your first kiss! Or if… Have you even had _sex_?!"

Sakura clocked him in the jaw. "Pervert!" she snapped.

Jiraiya rubbed his jaw and chuckled up at her from where he'd landed on the floor. "I'll take that as a no, then," he said.

"You're such an idiot!" Sakura seethed. "I'm seventeen, and an active kunoichi. Of _course_ I've had sex!"

"Of _course_?" Jiraiya's brow waggled curiously.

"It's a requirement for kunoichi if they wish to take seduction missions!" Sakura told him, arms crossed in defence.

"Oh, right, I _knew_ that," he said, scratching his cheek, and Sakura let out a huff of air.

"You're such an idiot," she told him.

Jiraiya finally stood from where he'd been sitting on the floor and sat in a chair instead. "So… How many seduction missions have you done?" he asked. "What? I'm interested."

"You're a pervert, of _course_ you're interested," Sakura muttered as she also took a seat, picking up a scroll to briefly scan, before she sighed and put it back down. "Seven," she admitted. "Five of them were really just the 'stand there and look pretty' sort. One of the others required flirting, and the other didn't go further than groping."

"Pretty standard," Jiraiya mused. "Most kunoichi tend to end up quite skilled at avoiding unnecessary sex on a mission."

"I would like to put an end this discussion," Sakura said petulantly.

Jiraiya let out a put upon sigh. "Fine," he said. "How about instead you tell me more about the future that we need to change?"

Sakura sighed. "Okay," she said. "I was talking with the Hokage before and I've agreed that I'm going to do up an official report, as well as give an unofficial verbal one."

Jiraiya's brow rose. "Alright then," he said, "let's start where we left off…"

OoOoO

After shooing his team for lunch, Minato hunted Chouza down.

"So you're taking Sakura on an official date, then?" the Akimichi mused.

"I want it to be somewhere _nice_ ," Minato said. "Your clan has the best establishments, but… I also don't want to take her anywhere I went with…"

"Anywhere you went with Kushina," Chouza finished for him. "Is it because you want to start with a clean slate with Sakura? No other reason?"

Minato gave him a mildly irritated look. "Of course there isn't another reason," he said.

"Just checking," Chouza said, then thought briefly. "We recently opened a new restaurant that's a bit closer to the Hyuuga compound. Lots of traditional food, sushi, tonkatsu, sashimi, tempura, okonomiyaki, sukiyaki. That sort of thing. Wide enough variety, in case you don't know what she does or doesn't like."

"That sounds perfect," Minato decided.

"Well, I'll take you by so you can check it out," Chouza offered, and the two men walked through the village until they reached the restaurant. "Here it is."

It looked really good. Minato admired the way it leaned towards the more traditional, and wondered if that 'sales pitch' had anything to do with its proximity to the Hyuuga clan. Along with the Uchiha, the Hyuuga were one of the most traditional clans in the village. Inside the design was similarly traditional, with low seats and tables, but there was also an area with higher tables and chairs.

Minato hashed out the details with Chouza, then went back to his preferred training grounds, where he found Kakashi and Obito already waiting for him, predictably glaring at one another.

"The two of you are back early," he noted. "And without Rin."

"Rin's brother came by and stole her for some family thing," Obito huffed in annoyance.

"Did you bring any missions from the Hokage office, sensei?" Kakashi asked.

Minato shook his head. "No missions today," he said. "But since Rin isn't here… How about a training exercise instead?"

He reached into his pocket and puled out two bells on red string. Kakashi barely repressed a groan while Obito gaped. "B-but we already passed that test!" the latter boy complained.

"You did," Minato admitted. "But this afternoon won't be about if you can get them. I want to see you work _together_. If the two of you can successfully get these bells, while _working as a team_ ," he gave Kakashi a _look_ , "then I'll think about getting a C ranked mission for us tomorrow instead of D ranks."

Kakashi looked intrigued, and Obito looked ecstatic. " _C rank_ _ed_!?" he whooped. "Alright! Look out sensei! Me and the baka are gonna get those bells!"

Their team work was _terrible_ , they didn't communicate properly, and Obito took offence to more than one thing Kakashi said, no matter how motivated they'd both been at the start. Needless to say, there would be no C rank mission the next day. But Minato _had_ seen a small glimmer of hope behind Kakashi's stubborn arrogance, and Obito's obnoxious bragging. They were nowhere near it yet, but maybe one day…

…Maybe one day, the two of them could learn to actually work together and possibly (this might be a pipe dream, who knew?) even be friends?

It was a relaxed and happy Minato who later greeted Sakura at her door, his breath taken away by how beautiful she looked in her kimono styled dress. Today had been a good day, and he fully intended to end it on an even better note.


End file.
